


Tony Brings Together A Family (and Doesn't Realize He's a Part of It)

by LastFemaleTimeLord



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, BAMF Laura, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Phil Coulson, BAMF Rhodey, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Multi, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Team as Family, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8560816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastFemaleTimeLord/pseuds/LastFemaleTimeLord
Summary: Despite Tony not feeling that he was wrong, he recognizes that the world needs the Avengers. The world needs a team if things were to go wrong. He knew that the world didn't need him. The world needed a team. So, he had dedicated his time to bring the team together and make sure they are ready to save the world and also to save their family.





	1. Laura and the Munchkins

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I have been working on for a while Please let me know what you think. Thank you

The cabin used to be a safe haven for the family. It was always quiet. Well, it was as quiet as you could get with three children. However, the cabin was far from the quiet they were used to.

 

It was the feeling of safety that the cabin always held. Despite the hardships they had always faced, they always had more questions answered than unanswered. It let her know that everything would be okay. That wasn’t the case anymore.

 

She didn’t have the safety she craved. There were so many questions that she had but no one to give her the answers. It’s been months and still no word from Clint. How could she tell her children that she had no clue when or if their father would be home? Or even explain why he is not home.

 

Laura Barton was a strong woman. She trained in many forms of fighting styles and had weapons taped in every room of the house. However, that didn’t stop the relentless weeks clinging to her bones, refusing to let go.

 

The baby in her arms whined into her chest hitting his little fists at her. They didn’t hurt but she still cooed at him while she lifted him on to her hip. The mother bounced him slightly hoping to distract her son from the teething he was suffering from.

 

“I know, teething is never fun,” She murmured quietly. His wails picked up and her faced grimaced at the volume. The familiar feeling of hopelessness wanted to settle in her chest. Clint had always been the one good with their children teething. He had this talent of distracting. She would give anything to have her spouse here with her.

 

Her bare feet smacked against the floor as she walked to the freezer. The baby squirmed in her arms miserably. Laura’s gaze landed upon her oldest, Cooper. He was sitting at their table. His homework lay out on the surface blank.

 

She sighed as she opened the freezer door. The cool air caressed her skin allowing chill bumps to litter across her arms. Nathaniel gurgled at the cold and shoved his face into her neck.

 

Laura found the chilled pacifier she had set in there an hour earlier. Upon closing the door, she glanced at her oldest, “ How’s your homework coming, kiddo?”

 

Cooper grumbled crossing his arms over his chest, “How do you think it’s going?”

 

Nathaniel’s cries died down as his gums were soothed by the cold pacifier. He stayed content allowing Laura to relax for a moment. She sighed again at her son’s answer, “Are you having trouble with it?”

 

He refused to answer and continued to stare blankly at the sheets of paper. The woman closed her eyes in frustration. Ever since Clint left, he refused to hold a conversation or do any of his homework. The boy hadn’t been able to focus on anything.

 

Laura understood. Despite the missions that Clint went on, they always had updates. The family knew when he would be home. Yet, they didn’t know anything anymore. They had no knowledge of where he was or if he was okay. He abandoned his family without a thought.

 

Her chest tightened with loneliness. She could see the pain written on her children’s’ faces. Cooper, her smart son, couldn’t do anything towards what he used to love to do. At first, he tried but now he has just given up.

 

Lila was another story. She refused to leave the living area because the couch was sitting under the window to the front door. Her daughter kept her eyes trained outside, hoping that her father would come home.

 

She loved her husband. That was something she never questioned. However, she could never forgive him for what he is putting her through. He had promised her that she would never be alone or wonder if he would ever come back. Yet, her she was.

 

Lila walked into the dining room and looked at her mother,“ Mom?”

 

She looked over at her daughter and smiled gently,” Yes?”

 

“Mr. Stark is at the door.”

 

The room shifted into an intense atmosphere. Laura quickly called Cooper over and handed him Nathaniel,“ Why don’t you three go upstairs for me?”

 

The children stared at her. She tried to smile comfortingly but knew it fell short. Laura herded them to the stairs,“ I need to talk to him alone. Stay up there until I tell you to come down.”

 

The last thing she saw before they were out of her sight was Nathaniel sucking on his pacifier complacently. The woman took a deep breath and tightened her hair bun that she had messily put up. She had nothing against the man. Stark had never done anything to her or her family. He had only been on another side of the same war. However, she did not know his intentions to come to her house.

 

Honestly, Stark had been one of the best men she had ever met. While he stayed at the house with the other Avengers, he had helped the children in so many ways. Cooper had learned that he loved robotics from the man. Lila loved the toys he had fixed from their broken state. If he had met Nathaniel, then she had no doubt he would’ve taken care of him too.

 

She took a deep breath and walked to the front door. The thought had crossed her mind to get a weapon from the hiding places, but she trusted him. If it did go south, which she doubted, then she would handle it then. It was refreshing to think that she might have someone to talk to about the whole situation.

 

The door opened slowly as she stared at the newcomer. The man looked like he always did on the magazines, put together in every sense of the word. He wore a simple suit that probably cost more than her mortgage and the shoes were most likely Italian leather. His hair was the perfect amount of combed over and messy. He demanded control with his demeanor and she could feel herself relax in his presence.

 

Tony looked at her through his sunglasses. He took in her simple jeans and a t-shirt feeling sympathy. She had three kids to look after, she must feel exhausted,“ Laura. It’s nice to see you again. “

 

The woman smiled sincerely and he was taken back. It had been many years since someone had shown such raw emotion to him,“ It is wonderful to see you again.”

 

He had to take a moment to process that she had agreed with him. Also, she seemed to mean it. A lump in his throat formed but he coughed around it,“ I know you don’t want to see me. Especially after the war…well, that’s what everyone is calling it nowadays. But, I am here because I wanted to make sure you and munchkins are okay-”

 

“Tony,” She murmured softly. Her eyes shined with kindness. Laura stepped to the side gesturing inwards, “ Would you like to come in and have something to drink?”

 

His mouth opened and closed a few times trying to decipher if this was a trap. While he flew over to her house, he had many scenarios play out in his mind. Many of which were Barton’s wife shooting him or punching him in the face. It was strange to be offered into the house.

 

“ Are you sure?,” He responded after a moment to breath, “ I didn’t come to your house to impose-”

 

She laughed and rolled her eyes. Her hands darted out and grabbed him by the arm pulling him in. The door shut quietly with a click. The genius’s posture was tense making her feel sad. How could he think that she would be cruel to him? Did he know that she didn’t blame him for anything?

 

Laura gestured for him to take a seat at the table, “ Would you like some tea, milk, water?”

 

“ Water,” He responded taking of his sunglasses. He put them in his suit pocket.

 

“I cannot tell you how nice it is for you to be here,” She said as she placed a glass in front of him. It took her moment as she stared at the man before her.

 

Despite him looking put together, she could see it in his eyes. Now that he had taken of his glasses, she could see the exhaustion his face. The brown orbs were muted and dull instead of the warmth that they held so many years ago. How had he come to this?

 

The bags under his eyes were dark and despite the obvious concealer on them, it could not hide them. She was struck with how he looked. What had happened to this man?

 

The woman sat down sipping her own iced tea. She tilted her head to the side, “ It’s been a long time since someone has visited. I thought the world forgot about us.”

 

Tony grimaced slightly, “ I know. I should’ve come sooner but there has been so many things going on. I am sorry that I haven’t visited.”

 

Her heart warmed at the thought of someone at least thinking about her family, “ It’s alright, Tony. It’s just nice…knowing that someone cares.”

 

“ Barton cares, Laura,” He responded sincerely, “ I’ve never seen someone love someone else so strongly. He will be back. I promise.”

 

“ When?,” She questioned. Her eyes searched his, “When will he back? I don’t even know where he is. And right now, I don’t think I need to know. He left us. I have been taking care of everything since he left and been having to deal with the questions. The kids are hurting and I can’t do anything to comfort them. How am I supposed to tell them that their Dad cares for them? When he isn’t here?”

 

She rubbed her face against her hands. The stress of the days coming back full force made it seem so hopeless. The mother felt so alone and abandoned. She hated facing her children everyday. They always asked her the same questions and the answers never differed.

 

A hand reached over and touched her arm. The warmth grounded her to the moment in the present and not the past few months,” Laura, I cannot imagine what you are going through. And I refuse to pretend I do. It’s useless to tell you it’s going to be okay. But I do know that this is going to change. “

 

She stared at the man before her. His eyes reflected determination. The woman smiled weakly at him. The weight on her chest weakened now that she had finally let out some of her frustrations. She couldn’t express to this to her kids and there wasn’t anyone she could talk to. It made her feel so isolated, but just for now, she didn’t have to worry about it.

 

“ I don’t want you take this the wrong way, “ Laura murmured looking at him, “ Why are you here?”

 

Tony froze taking in a breath. He didn’t want to seem like his reasons were selfish. The man had been planning this for a while. However, he did not think that this was going to already be brought up. He didn’t even think he would be holding a conversation with her.

 

“ I have a place for you,” He replied looking into her eyes.

 

“I have documents and fake identities for you and the kids. With Clint gone it’s only a matter of time before someone will find you all. I have been running interference with Ross since the beginning. However, I can’t keep running on luck

 

“These identities have backgrounds and information going back years. That means if someone looks you up, then you have a long thorough history making it impossible to detect it being fake. The kids have backgrounds, including Nathaniel. There is even a floor for you guys. No one is allowed entry if you do not permit it.”

 

He ran a hand through his hand tiredly, “ There’s a job waiting for you. If you want it, of course. It’s basically running over my R&D department and making sure they don’t make massive mistakes. Trust me, I’ve seen you in action. You run a tight ship,” Tony smiled at her as Laura smirked.

 

“ The kids will have their own teachers and they will go on regular trips making sure they interact with kids their own age. There’s also a daycare for Nathaniel for when you’re working. However, you wont ever leave the compound for work. Not that you’re a prisoner or anything. You can leave whenever you want-“

 

“Tony,” Laura murmured looking at him fondly.

 

“ I have a feeling this interrupting thing is going to continue to be a thing,” He murmured to her.

 

She smirked, “ It’s going to continue until you stop being an idiot.”

 

“Well, that will never happen.”

 

“I guess that means I got to stick around you. Make sure that your stupidity doesn’t increase,” she replied meaningfully.

 

The facts were simple. Her family was miserable where they were. They were isolated from the world and were in danger without sufficient protection. The kids couldn’t continue going they were. _She_ couldn’t continue the way she was going.

Tony offered a safe place for them. It was a change of scenery that they desperately needed. He was offering protection and a chance at healing. It was the best option she had and she was intent on taking it.

 

The genius stared at her for a moment, “ Are you serious?”

 

“ I mean it,” She said again, “ Thank you. Tony, you don’t have to do this. Yet, you have anyway. You have thought about my kids’ safety and that means the world to me. Thank you.”

 

He smiled at here. His eyes glittered to life for a moment, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

 

She shook her head, “ No, but if you don’t mind would you like to stay for dinner? I’m sure the kids would love to see you.”


	2. Lang's Abandoned Colony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support. I can't believe people like this story. I hope you all enjoy it.

Tony sighed tiredly, racking a hand over his face. The feeling of defeated curled into his chest. He didn’t want to do this anymore. Countless times he has cleaned up everyone’s mess, and he paid the price. Each time, the cleaning became harder and more taxing than the last.

 

The holograms surrounded his vision in a blue hue similar to the arc reactor. The facts were staring him in the face, mocking him. This couldn’t be done. It was impossible. The public would never allow them to return without punishment.

 

There were dozens and dozens of laws the Avengers broke during the war. It wasn’t just as a group; there were specific charges for each member. Wanda wasn’t even a citizen of the United States. She caused mass damage and civilian casualties on a visa. That would be hard to refute.

 

If he continues his research in psychological torture methods, the genius could cause reasonable amnesty to Barnes’s crimes. However, the laws he broke while not under Hydra’s control would cause him trouble.

 

The man sighed again. That was only a small percentage of everyone’s mess. What could he do? He had many favors he could call in. There were still plenty of people in congress that owed him favors. Yet, it was the public that was an issue.

 

They still feared the in-humans and Avengers alike. The war added fuel to the fire that was already burning. If the Avengers were to come back now, the media would maul them. He had to create the atmosphere before releasing them back into the world.

 

He growled standing up from his chair to pace across the room. He had to convince the world that they deserved to come back. The majority of the public had to agree that their crimes were understandable and forgivable. People lost their loved ones to the damn war. They lost homes and businesses too. How could he convince them that their losses were justified?!

 

Dum-E let out a stress of worried beeps at his creator. The ‘bot decided that the genius needed a smoothie and rolled excitedly to the blender to make it. Tony missed the interactions, too lost in his mind.

 

His chest curled tightly as his heart pounded in his chest. He had convinced people all his life. The man had learned the art when he was far too young. The skill was perfected over time and only got better. He counted his most success as convincing Pepper that he was okay after Siberia.

 

This was different. He had lead rooms and conferences by his will alone. He has broken political power couples that muttering a few words. Since he was young, he has made the world believe he was a selfish man that had no cares to anyone else’s well-being.

He believed in everything he did. However, Tony didn’t believe in this. He didn’t think that their crimes were justified. People died because none of the team could sit down and talk it out, himself included. He couldn’t stand in front of the world and tell them that, the losses they felt were invalid.

 

“FRIDAY,” He murmured turning to the holograms again, “ Load file CW: Casualties.”

 

After a hesitant moment, the holograms changed it to lists of names. They were categorized by age and how painful their deaths were. The names shifted and Tony sat back down, looking at the people he failed. These people had died because of them.

 

Do the others loose sleep? He couldn’t stop himself wondering about his team. Do they get lost in the sea of deaths they caused? The genius could hardly go ten minutes without the guilt he felt. It was overwhelming and yet, he felt like it was never enough.

 

It would never be enough. He could punish himself over ten lifetimes and it would never justify all the deaths he has caused. He had files dating back to his times in the weapon industry. They held names of women, men, and children. People that lost their lives because he kept making mistakes.

 

There were so many names. So many people had died by his hands. Tony ran a trembling hand through his hair as he yanked it slightly. The spike of pain cleared his vision slightly and stopped his heart from pounding out of his chest. His thoughts rearranged to slot back into place.

 

He had to do it. The world needed someone to protect it and that was the Avengers. Despite everything they’ve been through, the Avengers had always stepped up when it was needed. There was no other way. The man just had to convince the world that the Rogue Avengers were essential to it’s survival…He’s done worse things.

 

“Boss, I hate to interrupt, but Dum-E is about to push the blender to it’s maximum capacity-“

 

A flash appeared in the corner of his eyes. A sudden feeling of heat followed. Tony turned his head to find the blender bursting into strong flames. The ‘bot was running in circles creating a sound of distress.

 

“Dum-E, how in the hell did you even to do this?,” The genius exclaimed tilting his head to the side. He didn’t now fruit could catch on fire so quickly, “ I swear, you always push me to new heights. I don’t know why I put up with you. The community college is going to love you as a new addition.”

 

He continued to ramble while walking across the workshop to the fire extinguisher, “ I have no idea where they are going to put you. There is no way you will go into the engineering division. Maybe you’ll go into the art exhibit-no that would be an awful idea. You know what? You might just be locked into a closet. That could work.”

 

The genius gripped the extinguisher and strolled over to the ‘bot, “ Now get over here-No Dum-E. Stop running away. Get over here. You started the damn fire. Which means you are going to put it out. Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

 

Dum-E held the object in his claw sulkily. Tony had to take a moment to be proud that a robot could do that before he raised an eyebrow at the fire, “Well?”

 

The fire continued to burn for a minute or two. It seemed that the two were having a miscommunication. Dum-E tilted his camera at him.

 

“ Oh for the love of circuitry,” He murmured as he gestured to the fire, “ There is literally a fire. Fire hurts not only fleshy humans but you too. You caused this, you fix it-There you go!”

 

Dum-E finally grasped the concept and began extinguishing the fire. He seemed to get really excited and began spinning around causing the foam to go in any direction.

 

“WOAH!,” Tony exclaimed jumping back from the ‘bot. However, he was too late. The foam landed in the side of his face. He sighed (he was doing that way too often). His eyes shut in exasperation, “I swear, you are a tragedy.”

 

The foam long since stopped coming out of the object, due to it being empty. Dum-E apparently didn’t care at the fact and continued spinning in circles. He glanced over at the covered blender…at least the fire was out.

 

A few giggles caught his attention. Tony turned to Laura and the kids staring at him amusingly. He raised an eyes brow at the family and allowed a small smile to grace his face.

 

Laura smiled walking toward him, “ It seems you have had an interesting day.”

 

Nathaniel bounced in her arms as his chubby arms reached out to the genius. He gurgled happily at the man. She looked at her baby in shock and shifted him over for her friend to take him.

 

Tony looked at her for a moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he held a child. A few weeks ago, he had eaten with the family before they moved in. He refused to hold the baby.

 

He was afraid that he would make one wrong movie and the child would be screwed up for life. However, at least he could afford therapy if need be. His hands gathered the baby in his arms and sat him on the side of his hip that wasn’t covered in foam. Nathaniel hit his hands together excitedly at being given what he wanted. The genius looked at him in awe.

 

His hands had created weapons that have killed millions. Yet, the innocent little human didn’t seem to care. He only seemed to like how comfortable the man seemed to be.

 

“ Do I want to know,” Laura asked quietly has she wiped his face. She kept her expression fond even as he flinched at her hand nearing his face. The woman hated seeing the little hints at how scarred he was.

 

“ Dum-E was trying to make a smoothie.”

 

The two adults looked over to find that the ‘bot had stopped spinning in circles. He had set the extinguisher down in favor of playing with Lila and Cooper. The siblings seemed to be playing tag and Dum-E seemed to be ‘it’.

 

The sound of their laughter eased the feeling the room held earlier. Tony let the feeling of loneliness go for a moment and just enjoyed the absence of silence. The kids were doing better. They weren’t ‘fixed’ by a long shot. However, Cooper was at least trying to pay attention to his studies. Lila seemed to find interest in her pictures again.

 

The adults knew that it they were far from the finish line. It was just nice to know that there were heading in the right direction. Nathaniel broke their thought as he jumped in Tony’s arms wanting their attention.

 

The man smiled softly. He began bouncing the child against his hips, “Hello there, Tiny Agent. How are the teeth coming?”

 

Laura sighed, “ They’re doing fine. The little buggers are giving him plenty of trouble at night though. He can’t get a full hour of asleep. “

 

“ That does not sound productive,” He murmured to the baby calmly.

 

She raised an eyebrow, “ What about you? When was the last time you slept? Or ate? You haven’t been coming to dinner. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

 

Before Tony could reflect, FRIDAY decided she was needed, “ Boss slept approximately 52 hours ago. He hasn’t eaten a full meal in around 61 hours. However, he has taken vitamin supplements so he is able to continue his work.”

 

“ That was all lies,” the accused countered quickly. He laughed nervously at the glare he was receiving, “ FRIDAY, remind me to reprogram you into a toaster.”

 

“ I have put it on your schedule, Boss.”

 

He really needed to stop making sarcastic AIs. This was getting ridiculous. Tony swore Vision had been giving her tips on how to go around her protocols. She was getting more like JARVIS everyday.

 

“ We are having hamburgers tonight,” Laura said, leaving no room for debates, “And you will join us. It’s not good running yourself into the ground. You are trying hard. But you can’t continue like this. You’re going to kill yourself.”

 

The genius couldn’t stop the thought crossing his mind. _Not yet._ He smiled at her convincingly, “ I’ll be there. “

 

She cupped his cheek with her hand gently, “They aren’t worth all this trouble. You can try to help. But, don’t let it consume you. Please.”

 

FRIDAY interrupted saving him from answering, “You might have some more over for dinner. Boss, Hope Van Dyne, Cassandra, and her mother, Maggie, have arrived. Shall I guide them to your workshop?”

 

“Hmm,” He hummed and gently handed Nathaniel to Laura. The baby made an angry noise as he grasped onto his ACDC shirt, “ Guide them to the common room. I’ll head up there.”

 

Tony cooed, “ I know, Little Agent. I’ll be back. Maybe we’ll have some new friends, yea?”

 

Laura helped Nathaniel release his shirt after a bit of convincing. She murmured, giving she gave the man a look, “ You call if you need us. We’ll stay down here for a little while longer.”

 

The genius gave a little smile and entered the lift. FRIDAY didn’t have to be told as she began to bring it up to the common floor. Tony looked into the mirror like wall of the elevator. He racked a hand through his hair and rolled his shoulders.

 

He knew this one might be harder than the others but it had to be done. People were in danger especially if there are known to be associated with the Avengers. He had to try and give them some protection. The others might have been fine abandoning their families and responsibilities, but he couldn’t. Someone had to care.

 

The man stepped out of the elevator with an easy grin on his face. His usual comfort in a suit was abandoned since he was in old jeans and a shirt. However, these people didn’t need to see his media persona. They needed to see him as he was, someone trying to help.

“ Cassandra, Maggie, and Hope Van Dyne,” He projected keeping his shoulders loose. His sneakers lead him silently to the three in them middle of the room. The genius made it apparent to shake all of their hands, including the little one causing her to giggle slightly.

 

Tony looked at their confused stares, “ I appreciate you coming here on such short notice. I know it was out of the way.”

 

“ It was a little out of the way,” Maggie said confidently watching Cassie taking a sit on the couch closest to her, “Would you like to tell me why we’re here?”

 

The genius looked over to Van Dyne, “ Would you like to hear this together?”

 

The two looked at each other silently. Though they had not known each other long, the women had come to bond. Since Scott had been gone, Hope had came forward to try to help her with Cassie. Maggie couldn’t express her gratitude for the woman.

 

“ Together,” Hope replied.

 

Tony cleared his throat, “ I am concerned for your safety. You have no reason to trust me. I understand this fully, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Anyone can trace your relationship with Mr. Lang. Despite all your hard work to try to stay out of the light, anyone with dedication can find you.

 

“ There are many people that are angry over what happened with the accords. They blame many people for different things. Some people might be angry enough to take it out on you and yes, including your daughter.”

 

He took a moment to look a Cassie. The sweet innocent girl who had no idea what danger she could be in. His mind flashed to a memory far too close to home, “ What I am offering doesn’t have a price. I am offering a safe place. I have floors dedicated for you. No one will come into them if you don’t want them to.

 

“ And if you are concerned I have jobs as well. Hope, I realize that you are running a company. So, I have compiled an office space for you in the mean time. Maggie, I have a job for you if you don’t mind. I actually have a few you can pick from. Cassandra would be tutored by the very best. She would also have a chance to be with children her own age.

 

“ I am going to repeat myself. And trust me, I hate doing this. So, feel special. I am not doing this for you to owe me. I am doing this because you are in danger where you are. The reason why I’m doing this is because someone left you out in the cold and I can’t stand aside and watch this happen. You deserve more than that.”

 

There was a beat of silence after his speech. Tony stood his ground as their gazes traveled over his body. He tried reminding himself that he had said everything he could. They were free to choose. However, he just hoped that they made the right decision.

 

Hope looked at him sharply, “ What makes you think we want your help, Stark? We have never gotten along before. Why would you want to help now?”

 

The engineer looked in to her eyes with determination. He refused to let his father define who he was now. The man was too old. There was no reason for her to let this happen.

 

“ Let’s skip this whole tense interaction,” Tony said waving a hand as if to dismiss the atmosphere, “I haven’t done anything to you. And you have not done anything to me. Our fathers hated each other. God knows why, but we have not anything to each other. Leave the past behind. Let’s just both agree we have raging daddy issues and leave it behind us.”

 

The woman blinked in shock at the bluntness of the man before her. No one had ever had the gall to say this. However, she ran over the facts in her mind and found respect blooming in her mind. He was right.

 

“Would this be permanent?,” Maggie questioned.

 

The genius shook his head, “ No. I have a few things in mind, but you aren’t a prisoner here. You can come and go as you please. “

 

The women looked at each other again. The silent conversation lasted a few minutes between them. There were many variables but they had to find the best outcome.

 

“It will take a few weeks to transfer everything here,” Hope responded after a moment. The tension in the room relaxed after a decision was made.

 

Tony let out a breath he was holding, “ Understandable. If you have to leave for a meeting, I would like some of my security to follow you. “

 

The woman scoffed, “I’ll take one member of your security team with me. “

 

He stared at her. She reminded him so much of a Pepper. A woman running a company in a dominating world, she had to know what she as doing. He conceded, nodding to her.

 

“ I have fiancé back home,” Maggie began. She glanced at her daughter who had stayed on the couch during the conversation, “ I am sure he will be fine staying there until we can have a more stable plan?”

 

“Would you be apposed if he had a guard? Just outside of the house.”

 

She took a moment to consider before shaking her head, “Not until I talk to him.”

 

Before the man could respond, the sound of someone entering the room caused the group to turn. Laura smiled kindly at them, Nathaniel on her hip. The baby seemed to be content to be tugging on a strand of his mother’s hair. Tony lifted an eyebrow at her.

 

“Hello, “ She responded to the two women as she walked over to them, “I’m Laura Barton. My children and I live here. I wanted to come in and check on how things are going. Oh, and who is this beautiful young lady?”

 

Cassie giggled at the attention, “ I’m Cassie.”

 

“ Well Cassie,” She began. A grimace flashed on her face as her son tugged on her hair a little harshly, “ I have kids around your age and I think they’d love to meet you.”

 

Laura looked over to Maggie and Hope, “ I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, but it is getting late. I’m cooking dinner. We have plenty for you all to join.”

 

“Please, mom?”

 

Maggie smiled at her daughter hesitantly, “ Yes,” She glanced at Hope, “ We’d love to stay for dinner.”

 

Nathaniel made grabby hands Tony. He whined getting the man’s attention. The genius laughed and took the child from her. She smiled once her hair was released from the baby’s grip.

 

“Is this going to be thing?,” Tony questioned leading them into the elevator, “Any time someone is invited in, you’re going to offer them dinner?”

 

“It’s a good way to break the ice,” She hummed.

 

He rolled his eyes dramatically, making Cassie giggled beside her mother, “ If you say so. Don’t know who died and made you Queen, but I think I am too scared to question it.”

 

Laura smiled, “As you should be.”


	3. Thor's Side of the Things

Laura hummed slightly enjoying the cool air around her. It was early in the morning and she couldn’t be happier. Usually she hated anything before 10, even after she had kids. Clint would always make fun of her for it.

 

She picked her hot tea up and leaned a hip against a counter in the kitchen. The windows were half up, which she didn’t know was possible with how large they were and they didn’t even have a latch. The sound of the world outside serenaded her. It filled the mother with contentment as the breeze drifted into the room.

 

The days in the cabin seemed so far away. Though it had barely been a month, she couldn’t imagine her family anywhere else. The woman wouldn’t tell Tony yet, but this place had quickly become their home. Lila and Cooper adored the place.

 

They also loved Cassie and her mother. It’s still taking sometime to get used to them, but it just seemed to fit. There was hole in her life that she hadn’t realized she had. When she was with Clint, she still had it. It seemed she had found it.

 

Laura set her tea down gently. It was a perfect Saturday morning. Autumn was just around the corner and everything just seemed to fall into place. She turned to the fridge and began pulling out ingredients for breakfast.

 

“ FRIDAY,” She murmured looking for some pans.

 

“ Yes?”

 

“ Would you mind letting everyone know I’m making breakfast,” She asked. It had been a few days since she had seen everyone. Hope had been settling in her office and Maggie had been keeping an eye on her daughter.

 

A worried sensation had settled in her stomach. Tony had been gone for a couple days. He had informed her that there were some board meetings he had to go to. The man had just gotten home last night and she had found out he went straight to the lab.

 

Most days she swore that the Stark was a definition for natural selection. He never slept or ate unless forced, and he never thought of himself. How he had survived this long, she would never know. Laura refused to have a preconceived notion of him, but she couldn’t compare to what she new to what she was told.

 

It seemed to most people that he was selfish and uncaring. She had been told countless times that he only put his needs first and no one else’s. People said he was a cold-hearted killer. They were wrong. The media, the Avengers, even Clint, they were all so wrong.

 

Tony worked until he couldn’t anymore. A normal person would pass out long before he could. He calculated every detail to make sure that nothing could go wrong. If it did go wrong…he always had a backup plan. The man she knew was nothing like what anyone else had seen. He never considered himself. Stark continued to find ways to help those in need.

 

He had been working tirelessly on the cleanup efforts after the battles. The man created free lodgings and food to those who were struggling. Hell, Tony had invited them into his life because he was afraid of what would happen to them.

 

There was no way he was anything but the most generous man in the world. However, he was also the loneliest. She had seen it in his eyes once he took off those sunglasses. He had a great mask, but not one that could get away from her watchful eyes. She had learned from Clint to look closer than most.

 

Tony took to much blame on himself. She wouldn’t be surprised if he took the blame for children starving in Africa. The Avengers leaving him to clean up their mess made it worse. The world had been looking fro answers and the only one left was Tony Stark.

 

Laura began cracking a few eggs against the side of the bowl. Though she had never cooked for so many people, she found peace in it. It was comforting to know that she wasn’t alone anymore. The kids loved the place and she agreed.

 

FRIDAY spoke, “ Excuse me, Laura. I have let everyone know about breakfast and the approximate time it will be done. Boss has responded saying that he ‘Might make it’. I have then responded with your usual threat of violence and he has agreed to join.”

 

She smiled at the ceiling. She loved this AI, “ That is wonderful. Thanks.”

 

“ Maggie has also responded. She is on her way to the common kitchen to help you cook. The kids are currently waking up Ms. Van Dyne. They will be here soon.”

 

“ I could use a hand, “ She hummed finishing up the batter.

 

Maggie walked in wearing sweatpants and a big shirt. The woman smiled at Laura, “ You’ve got it. What are we making?’

 

“ I am thinking a full breakfast. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, the whole spiel.”

 

She out her hair into a messy bun and nodded, “ Sounds like a good plan. It’d be nice to have a group meal. Wait,” She stopped upon feeling the breeze, “ The window can _open?!_ ”

 

Laura let out a delighted laugh, “ That’s what I said! I couldn’t believe it! Apparently Tony added in the feature after we moved in. There is even child safety precautions on them.”

 

The women continued to talk while cooking. They laughed at the stories they shared about their kids. It had been a while since Maggie had connected with anyone besides Hope and her fiancé. She had been so busy that she hadn’t realized that she had isolated herself.

 

Cassie hadn’t been keen on moving in at first. Upon meeting the other kids, she had slowly enjoyed it. The Barton children were a riot to be around. They were little sarcastic monsters that Cassie adored. Lila and her daughter bonded over dance classes fairly quickly. Once Tony found out, he found a wonderful dance teacher to come in twice a week.

 

Maggie began scrambling the eggs on the stove as she contemplated the man. She didn’t have enough information on him. What she did know left her speechless. He was a walking contradiction. She had spent many nights with Hope talking about her respect fort the man. Every time she thought she knew him he threw another wrench in her ideas. He was genius in every meaning of the word.

 

“What do you think about Tony?,” Maggie couldn’t help but ask.

 

Laura paused in thought. Her eyes glanced at the woman beside her. It didn’t seem that she had any malicious intent, “ I think he is onto something.”

 

She flipped a pancake and continued, “He invited us into his home without a second thought. And those rooms? He built those for us. You’ve noticed it too. I’m sure hope has too. There are others to waiting to be filled. I think he is not only trying to protect us, but he is trying to build something that will last.”

 

“But why?,” The other woman wondered out loud.

 

“ That I don’t know.”

 

The AI spoke into the silence of the room, “ Excuse me, ladies. I just realized that Boss has not informed of you of the new development. “

 

The women paused and glanced at the ceiling, “Development?”

 

“ Yes, there are some new additions to the people of the house and they have just arrived-“

 

“Whoa! Look at this. Holy hell, Mr. Stark has GOT to be my sugar daddy before the end of this.”

 

Two women walked out of the elevator. The taller woman sighed and shook her head, “ Darcy, no.”

 

“Darcy, yes.”

 

Laura turned to the woman approaching and raised her eyebrows, “ Darcy, who?”

 

“ Hello. Sorry about her. She is very…expressive, “ The woman began professionally, holding out a hand, “ I am Doctor Jane Foster and this is my assistant Darcy Lewis.”

 

The four women shook each other’s hands. The two continued to cook, glancing at the new comers, “ I’m Laura and this is Maggie. We are cooking breakfast and could use the help.”

 

Jane smiled, “ Of course. Darcy, why don’t you find the plates. I’m sure FRIDAY can help you. I’ll handle watching over the oven.”

 

As the rhythm was set, Laura cleared her throat, “ Can I ask what you’re doing here?”

 

Darcy laughed, “ Tony didn’t tell you?”

 

“I think it might’ve slipped his mind, “ Maggie murmured slyly, “ He would forget his head if it wasn’t attached.”

 

Jane chuckled, “ True. Tony had tried to call me for a few weeks now. I was at a conference and Darcy didn’t believe it was really Tony Stark. So, she kept hanging up on him-“

 

“I said I was sorry!”

 

“ When we had finally gotten in touch with him, he explained to me what had been going on, “ She continued as if Darcy hadn’t interrupted, “ I’m Thor’s girlfriend. Since London, a lot of people have figured that out. He made a few really valid points. Thor wasn’t in the war, but he was associated with the Avengers. People can’t be logical all the time and it could put us in danger.”

 

Her mouth turned to a grin remembering their conversation, “ Not to mention I’m an astrophysicist. He said that the science community had to stay together. He created a place for us here and next thing we know we are moving here. Our stuff should be alone shortly.”

 

Upon hearing that Tony had made a place for the new comers, Maggie and Laura shared a looked. It turns out there were going to be more. They hadn’t been surprised, but they hadn’t expected it so fast.

 

“ We’re glad you’re here,” Laura said as they all finished up the cooking, “ It’s good to know that someone can be on Tony’s level. “

 

“ Mom!”

 

She turned around to find Lila running into the kitchen. The little girl hugged her mom, “ You won’t believe what happened! Dum-E tried to get in the elevator and somehow fit and he came into our floor! It was so awesome. Cassie and I played dress up with him. “

 

“I think he stole the crown we gave him, “ Cassie murmured to the women.

 

Maggie chuckled, “ Tony is going to have a fit.”

 

Hope and Cooper came walking behind them. They both eye the new women warily. Despite the progress Cooper had made, he still had this air of caution around him. Laura had hoped that it was just a phase, but the more time went on the more she didn’t think it was.

 

“ Hello, I am Hope Van Dyne,” Hope introduced herself shaking the women’s hands, “ And you are?”

 

“I’m Jane and this is Darcy.”

 

“ They are apart of our group of strays,” Laura murmured dryly, “ These are Thor’s “

 

Hope chuckled, “ I should’ve guessed. “

 

“ Is there something I’m missing?,” Jane aske .

 

“ It’s just an ongoing joke,” Maggie tried to explain, “ Cassie is m daughter. And her father is…well…Antman. Hope had been close to him as well. And Laura and the kids are Hawkeye’s family. It seems Tony is just getting everyone together. Is there anyone else we’re missing?”

 

“ Okay, this is scary, “Tony murmured slowly walking into the room. He wasn’t used to seeing anyone in the morning. Let alone an army.

 

There were kids running around the room presumably playing tag. Their laughs echoed in the room that was once always silent. He noticed the cool feeling dancing across the room. The breeze entered the room through the windows giving him a feeling he couldn’t name.

 

To see women and children so comfortable in his home caused a lump in his throat to appear. It didn’t escape him how they could’ve used the kitchen in any of their floors, but they had chosen to have it in the common floor. They had invited him to Saturday breakfast like it wasn’t the most mundane thing. He swallowed silently.

 

“ The funniest thing happened,” Laura responded to him turning towards the man ,” Maggie and I were making breakfast when Dr. Foster and Ms. Lewis came in.”

 

He blinked at the tone voice. The feeling of missing something settled into his stomach, “ That’s what people do, yes.”

 

She continued to walk up to him with a smirk, “They even told me that they were moving into a floor.”

 

“…Yes?”

 

The woman sighed. She stared at him fondly, “You’d think you would tell us that.”

 

“…I didn’t tell you all?,” He asked to the room. His eyes were wide with disbelief. There was no way he forgot to tell the others. Well, he had been busy. He’s spent days on end at meetings in other countries and in his plane. The man had also been in contact with some people from congress talking about the Accords. Then there was the time he had to stop at Peter’s to make sure his suit was up to date.

 

“Huh, I don’t think I did.”

 

Laura laughed softly, “It’s okay. It just took us by surprise. Next time, tell us okay?”

 

He nodded slightly. Tony smiled at the kids, “Where’s Little Agent?”

 

“ He stayed up all night,” She murmured leading the man to the table, “ So, we are going to let him sleep as long as we can.”

 

Once they had all sat down, the food was passed along. It almost reminded him of the time had spent Thanksgiving with Rhodey’s family. The room was warm and the sound of kids and adults talking swam through his ears. It was so comfortable that he wanted to fall asleep. The way their kindness wrapped him in a blanket baffled him.

 

He knew what this felt like. The way everything was slowly changing in his life. He knew he never wanted to let this go. Jealously filled his mind for a moment. It was so unfair. How could Scott and Clint just leave like this? Sure, Thor had promised to return. He hadn’t abandoned them, but the others…they were left.

 

Scott and Clint had everything. They had a family. They had children to take care of. The men had lives that people dreamed of, and these people. They were amazing and caring. He couldn’t see one excuse that would justify what they did.

 

And God, Tony knew it was going to hurt when he had to let this go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support. This is amazing. I hope you enjoy it


	4. Suffocation in the Sanctuary

“Boss, I must inquire that there does not seem to be a need to remake your armor.”

 

The engineer scrubbed his oil-covered hands across his face. The suit had to be perfected. He couldn’t be naïve anymore. Despite his brain reminding him about his suit binging in the past, he refused to think of the warning bells going off.

 

There were people counting on him, parents and families in his very home that needed protection. His suit could not fail. The thought of himself unable to save them caused him to hit the metal harder. FRIDAY had been trying to convince him to cease his actions for hours, but he refused.

 

Tony looked over to the hologram to his left. The measurement of the seams on the suit had been decreased by twenty-seven percent. It wasn’t enough. The crevasses in the suit had to be smaller, but he couldn’t sacrifice functionality over it. It’s not enough. Why isn’t it ever enough?

 

He let out a frustrated sound and stood abruptly from the stool. There was always something that he couldn’t do right. His leg kicked the stool across the room. The air seemed to get thicker and it refused to enter his lungs.

 

His chest began to tighten making him recall the times of having the Arc Reactor. There was so much to do. The Avengers needed their names cleared. The Accords needed to be perfected for said group to accept them. Their families needed to be protected, and the others needed to be found. Pepper needed his attention on the company more, and that means the other things had to be neglected. He couldn’t divide his attention properly. Everyone was suffering because of him again. He couldn’t do anything right.

 

This was a panic attack. Tony had an intimate relationship with them. Each time it seemed that they just kept getting worse. He had so much to do, and he couldn’t do it all. The genius had to. There were too many people counting on him. That meant there were so many people that he had left to disappoint.

 

It hurt. Everything always hurt in the end. He was just so goddamn tired. People kept breaking pieces and pieces of families and other things, and there he was picking them up. All too soon, he had realized that the pieces he was picking up had been parts of himself.

 

“Come on, Stark,” He chocked out, hitting his hand on the table, “ There is too much to do. Stop this.”

 

He hit his hand again and again. The pain cleared his thoughts from all the clutter and confusion. His chest loosened at the distraction that he was giving himself. The pain was always a constant in his life, and it helped if he could control it.

 

Tony thought about the reason he was redoing his suit and he hit his hand harder. The memory of Scott in his suit made his skin crawl. He couldn’t have that again. No one was allowed near or in the suit. It was too close to his heart, to his armor. There wasn’t going to be another Obie.

 

Steve knew that. The man knew what Obadiah’s actions had on him. The way he couldn’t trust anyone like he used to. He was there to see the sleepless nights. Yet, the Captain let Scott get into his suit. He let Steve see his weakness, and the man used it against him.

 

He will not let it happen. There was too much evidence of it never going well. The engineer couldn’t let anyone near him anymore. Well, not like he did with the others. Pepper and Rhodey would be the most dangerous, and God, please don’t let them betray him.

 

“Tony? FRIDAY told me to check on-Oh my God, Tony!”

 

Before he could react, a gentle hand grasped his wrist. It spread warmth into his cold body. Another hand was placed on his cheek, lifting his gaze. His unfocused eyes landed on the woman.

 

Laura smiled shakily at him, “ Hey there.”

 

And now it’s Laura. Now she has seen his weakness. The woman could do anything with the information she has. He was getting too careless. Would she give it to anyone? God, please no.

 

“ I’m right here,” She murmured, leading him to the couch. Her eyes racked over the shaking genius in front of her. What had lead to this?

 

The kids were doing schoolwork when FRIDAY had called. They way the AI sounded made her stomach knot in worry. Tony had been in a meeting earlier with Pepper. He said that she had called this an emergency meeting. From what she heard, it was unheard of for her to call such a thing.

 

The ginger haired woman had been staying here at one point before they all had moved in. Tony had said that she hadn’t been around for more than a few hours. Apparently his friend couldn’t handle that he was Iron Man. For Pepper to call a meeting, something had to go wrong.

 

Her eyes landed on the parts in the room, “…You were working on the suit? I thought you just finished one last week?”

 

“During the fight,” Tony murmured, “Lang, he shrunk enough to fit himself into my suit and he began destroying it from the inside. I need to make the seams between metal smaller. He can’t get into the suit. “

 

Laura took a breath. From the time she had moved here, the man refused to talk about the war. It was probably because he thought they would blame him when he did. Her heart skipped a beat at what he had admitted.

 

She knew what the suit meant to the man. It was a representation of his own mental armor. It was how he had to face the world everyday. The way that Scott was able to get into his armor, his safe place; to have the man taking things apart from the inside. Oh, the poor man.

 

“Oh God, Tony,” She whispered. Laura was unable to stop herself from pulled the man into a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck pushing him into her shoulder, “ Oh my God, I am so sorry. “

 

The man stiffened in her arms. He didn’t know emotions could come from a hug. However, he didn’t understand what was going on. Apparently his body had other ideas, he relaxed into her warmth and comfort. It almost reminded him of Pepper. Except her hugs were nearly as filled with care as this one.

 

“I can’t let it happen again,” He stated as he buried his face into her neck, “ Please, just please.”

 

He didn’t know what he was begging for, but all he wanted was for this nightmare to end. Tony wanted to wake up. The genius wanted to open his eyes and let everything be a dream. The Avengers would still be together and everyone was safe. There wouldn’t be constant threats anymore.

 

“I’m here,” she promised, “I’m here and so are the kids. If there is anything we have to say about it, no one will ever hurt you again. And if they did, we will get them back.”

 

Laura tightened her hold. She couldn’t stop her thoughts leading to Clint. His actions had lead to this. Not only had he abandoned her and the kids, he had abandoned his friend. He destroyed what he had. If there was a future for them, they were going to have to start over. There was no way the two could start back where they were.

 

She made a note to herself that she needed to talk to the others in the house. They had all been getting used to each other, and it was starting to go well. However, the way the genius was now could not happen again. She hadn’t realized how bad the war had affected him.

 

Tony had a mask that was impenetrable. It was only by FRIDAY’s warning was she able to see this side of him. They could offer a safe place for him all they wanted, but it didn’t seem like he knew how to accept it. The woman cursed everyone in his past that had left him alone to suffer.

 

She pulled away slowly. Her brown orbs looked at him comfortingly. She let herself grasp his abused hand with care. He tried to pull away, “Let me look at this.”

 

Tony looked at her cautiously. His heart had ceased its excessive beating and he didn’t feel suffocated anymore. It shouldn’t be like this. He was supposed to take care of them. They weren’t supposed to see him like this.

 

“Please,” She begged. Her chest loosened when he nodded slowly.

 

Laura turned over his hand to gaze at his knuckles. She winced at the bruising already appearing on the skin. There were a few cuts that were bleeding, but there wasn’t anything that would need serious attention. Well, besides the man’s mental state.

 

A whirr to the side caught her attention. Dum-E held a first aid kit in his claw. Bless this robot. Sure, she loved Butterfingers and You, but this robot just kept making her life easier and easier. A smile formed on her face.

 

“Thank you,” She murmured softly. The ‘bot beeped happily and went onto his job of cleaning the lab. Well, trying to anyway causing a soft chuckle to escaped her lips.

 

After opening the kit, Laura began to wipe the blood off of his hands. It made her wish that she could wipe more than just the physical blood. She could see how the guilt had ate him alive, and she didn’t want to think of how many years it’s been there.

 

She vowed that this man would never face a battle alone again. Wither it be mentally or not, it didn’t matter. She would be there for him. The way he didn’t flinch made her ache. How could anything be okay again?

 

The thoughts of her kids came into mind; the way that Tony would take Nathaniel into his arms and allow the teething monster to chew on his fingers for hours. Or how Lila was able to draw on a custom app that he had made for her. Her little girl smiled like he hung the moon. Even how he treated Cooper, he took time to allow the boy into the lab and show the inner-workings of his precious ‘bots.

 

She witnessed the way the man’s expressions soften. The way he fought for them and everyone else, there had to be hope. If he could fight for so long, so could she.

 

The woman began wrapping his wrist and hand. She left him just enough room for his fingers. The man was engineer; there was no way he would keep it on if he couldn’t tinker with things.

 

“I’m trying,” He murmured. His eyes found hers after the wrapping was finished, “You know that, right? That I’m trying?”

 

Her voice came out hard and serious as she cupped his cheek, “You are doing more than enough. I know that, the kids know that, everyone knows that. You don’t have to do this anymore.”

 

“I do,” He whispered to her, “ I really do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all. Thank you for the responses. I was afraid that you all would get tired of characters being added every chapter, so I thought I'd show some of Tony's scars.


	5. Laura's Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Christmas and such can get in the way. Thank you all for your support!

“Laura, I’m fine.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“No, seriously. I am fine.”

 

“I’m starting to really hate that word.”

 

“What, ‘fine’? How about ‘I’m okay’?”

 

“I swear it’s like you have a death wish.”

 

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

 

“Answer it and you’ll realize there are things worse than death.”

 

Laura had come to the realizations that Starks were the most stubborn people on the planet. After their moment, she had refused to leave him alone. The prompt of leaving the workshop had not gone over well with the genius. However, the woman was a forced to be reckoned with and somehow got the man into the elevator.

 

The ride up to the common floor had quickly become a battle of wills. Tony had been slowly allowing his masks to slot into place and, she was not having that. It didn’t matter if he was pretending to be fine. On the inside, the man was not fine and she refused to pretend anymore.

 

She didn’t know the man was drowning, and now that she did, she had to help him. The engineer was going to stay with them wither he wanted to or not. He was going to sleep normally and eat at least two meals a day. The stubborn man was going to take breaks from the Accords, Stark industries, and whatever else takes up his time. He was going to live a healthy and happy life if it was the last thing she’d do.

 

However, Tony wasn’t going to just sit down and let her take care of him. She cringed at the thought of the years he spent by himself. It was obvious is family wasn’t perfect and with how he acted on a daily basis, touch starved was an obvious factor.   


Her eyes shifted to stare at the man’s face. It was the way his wrinkles were pronounced around his forehead or the way his eyes didn’t seem to glitter anymore. He was tearing himself apart. For what, the Avengers? Why?

 

They left him abandoned and alone. Even if the others were right, it was the way they went about it that was wrong. They left people without homes or jobs and blamed Tony constantly. Now, they are gone and the only one left to answer their questions or hate is him.

 

The public can’t attack Rhodes. They wont go after a man who just recently became paralyzed. Vision isn’t a good choice either. He is the equivalent of a child. He is still learning about the world. No one would be bold enough to go after the King of Wakanda. They had just begun to open their borders. There would be no news station nor political figure that would jeopardize that.

 

But Tony Stark? The one known as the Merchant of Death? The man who made his past riches on the blood of innocents? That was the perfect scapegoat. He had the façade. The genius had the past to backup any accusation that the public would throw at him.

 

They could slander his name and drag it through the mud, but what would it matter? The name was too dirty to see the difference. The lies and the truth were muddled together years ago and no one can decipher between them anymore. All they had to do was point and shoot.

 

It didn’t matter the charities that he funded before and after his weapon manufacturing days. Nor did it matter the quick and easier carrying medical machines he has added in the medical field. No one saw that he funded many engineers going to school or rising geniuses who didn’t have the means he did.

 

None of that ever mattered. If it didn’t fit his image, they just threw it out and pretended like it wasn’t there. They tore his true identity apart and left nothing for him. He never had anything. He never had the money, the fame, or the company of another. People took that before he even had a chance.

 

Laura cringed as she remembered her own husband. Clint spent many times telling her about the famous Stark. He would snarl about the way Tony would take over a room during interviews. How the man would always take the spotlight. But, her husband never considered that he was protecting them from what the media could do. Clint never thought that the engineer was making sure that the rest of them wouldn’t end up like him.

 

She was startled out of her vortex of thoughts as the feeling of a warm hand cupping her cheek lightly. Laura opened her eyes not realizing they were closed. In her vision was Tony, his brow was dipped slightly and his lips turned downward. His calloused thumb gently swept across her bottom lashes.

 

“Hey,” He murmured quietly, “ What’s with this dramatic single tear, huh?”

 

The woman was careful not to push from his hand, but she did lift one of her own to find the lasting wetness of the tear he had wiped away. Her eyes met his and she could feel the need to cry rise. He looked so innocent just wanting to fix everything and she could see now, all the times he tried to fix things and no one saw it. They just saw the times it went wrong. Everyone did, from the media, to the Avengers, even to his own friends.

She quickly pushed his hand away. There wasn’t time for him to be hurt or to over analyze why. Laura launched herself into his chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck so her chin tucked into the crook of his neck. She didn’t let the tears go, but she did let her body shake because now she understood. Now, she officially sees him. God, she sees him and she hates that she didn’t before.

 

Tony stood there for a moment after stumbling with the weight of another human being attached to his person. It took him a second to register that she was trembling. Without a second thought, the genius wrapped his arms around her allowing one hand to cradle her head. Rhodey had done it a few times in college and he remembered it being very comforting.

 

While using those dusty memories, he swayed slightly allowing her to feel it just enough. She tightened her hold on him, so he did the same, “ If I said something, I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

 

The mother of three shook her head while still in the crook of his neck, “ You didn’t do anything,” she whispered, “ I just…I’m just so sorry. I hate this. I hate it so much.”

 

He closed his eyes painfully. The familiar sense of inadequacy filled his being, “ I know. I promise that it will get better. I’m doing everything I can to bring your husband home as a free man and all of the others too. I just need you to give me time. That’s all I need. It’s not fair that I have to ask this of you. You have kids and a home that I had drag you out of…But I’m going to make sure-“

 

“Shut up,” She whispered venomously as she pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. Her eyes were filled confidence and trust, “ That’s not what I meant. I will never doubt that you are doing your best. You have saved us, all of us: the kids, Lang’s family, Hope Van Dyne, Thor’s friends and lover. You saved them all and you saved me.”

 

She cleared her throat, “ This is where we are all meant to be and more. I meant that I hate that you are doing this alone. They left you among the ashes holding the matches. I hate them for it. I really do. They don’t deserve what you’re doing for them. It doesn’t matter what ‘sides’ there were. No one leaves one person for the fall.”

 

As she stepped away, Tony just smiled at her. It was full of resignation, “ Don’t you worry about me. They knew I could handle this, that’s all. It’s what I was made for after all.”

 

Before she could call bullshit, the elevator door opened revealing Lila looking at the two, “ You were in there for a long time. “

 

“ We were, weren’t we?,” Tony questioned as he stepped out into the Barton floor, “ We were talking about our secret plans to overthrow the government. Want to help?”

 

Lila smiled mischievously and nodded. She lifted her arms and made grabby hands at him. Without missing a beat she was lifted up and placed onto his hip, “Does your plan have bombs? Because bombs don’t work half as well as people think they do.”

 

He laughed in surprise and glanced at Laura, “I think your daughter might be the perfect master mind behind our plans. Don’t you think?”

 

“ I don’t know,” She murmured walking after the two, “ She might give away our secrets.”

 

“ That’s true,” He responded humming in agreement, “ What about if she was just on of our spies?”

 

“ _She_ is right here you meanies!”

 

Laura watched the two interact and wondered if Tony ever wanted kids. He seemed to be great with them. Even if not, she knew that glint in her daughter’s eyes. He had officially been adopted into their makeshift family. And if past experiences with her son had anything to do with it, Lila wasn’t alone.

 

“Boss, I’m sorry but there has been an emergency detected.”

 

Tony quickly deposited Lila on the couch and sat at the nearest computer in the living room. The room was filled with tension as the sound of keys on the keyboard typing away filtered into the room.

 

“Update,” his hard voice barked out. Laura quickly told her daughter to go to her room. She didn’t want Lila to hear whatever was about to happened. The woman would make sure she got there, but Laura didn’t want to leave Tony alone.

 

“There has been a target placed on Harley Keener and his family. Apparently it has been in the system for a few weeks now.”

 

The genius stopped typing and he snarled at the ceiling his eyes flaring in frustration and anger, “ A few _weeks_?! FRIDAY, you are supposed to be continuously searching for targets and hits on the deep web every minute. Tell me, how did you miss this?!”

 

FRIDAY responded sounding concerned, “ Boss, we need to have this altercation at another time. There are assassins that have taken the offer and are on their way now to kill them.”

 

Tony stopped typing and stood up quickly. His eyes darted around frantically as if he didn’t know which thought to land on. He hit the back of the chair causing it to fall to floor allowing the sound to echo in the quiet room.

 

“ETA of the assas-,” He paused clearing his throat, “ETA of the assassination?”

 

There had to be time. He could save them. He would have to get the suit and maybe if he hit another speed with the power of the Arc Reactor he could make it in time. Harley couldn’t die. This was his mistake. Harley and his family had no reason to atone for them.

 

The AI seemed to pause, “ One Hour.”

 

“ Are you telling me,” he snarled again, “ That they will die in one hour.”

 

“Yes.”

 

He wouldn’t be able to get to them in time. His heart stopped as he let his mind wander. They were going to die because they were associated with him. He got a family killed. Another family gone because of him. Not just that, but his family. He had been taken care of them sense Extremis nightmare. Now, there were going to be gone.

 

“Tony,” Laura tried to get through to him. She had never seen him like this. So frantic and helpless. He was hunching down onto himself as if trying to disappear. But that wasn’t him. He didn’t just run from these things. He couldn’t.

 

“No,” He murmured going through tons of data. They wouldn’t die. He wasn’t going to give up on them because it seemed impossible. Impossible was a barrier he surpassed all the time. He spoke louder, “No.”

 

Tony straightened up,” Where is the Spider?”

 

“Boss, I don’t think that is wise-“

 

“FRIDAY, you will respond to my questions because time is of the essence. Where is the damn Spider?”

 

The AI already knew the question he was asking. So in order to save time she skipped a few conversations, “It’s possible that the Spider can make it in time.”

 

He nodded quickly and took a deep breath. This wasn’t apart of the plan. He wasn’t going to contact her for another month. Sure, the identities and her innocence were cleared but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t ready to see her again. Not after her lack of trust. It didn’t matter now. This was for something far more than scheduled plans.

 

“Call.”

 

As the line rang, the genius looked at Laura. He looked so pained, “ I need you to trust me.”

 

She walked towards him and took a breath. This was a huge step, “I do.”

 

The line stopped ringing but no one spoke on the other end. It seemed to linger on as the room continued to rise in tension. Laura didn’t know if her heart could take it, and she wasn’t the one with a heart condition.

 

“You know who it is,” Tony said. His voice was clear and cut. This wasn’t the Tony she was used to. The one that spoke to her kids at night and helped Cooper with his homework occasionally. This was Tony Stark, Ironman, the one the refused to back down when odds continuously stacked against him.

 

“You will put aside your feelings as I have put aside mine. This isn’t about us. This is about innocents who need help because they were associated with us. They need to be saved and you are the closest one. There is a time crunch. I need your help.”

 

There was a rustle on the other end, “ I don’t have equipment.”

 

Tony scoffed angrily, “ Shut your damn mouth. You don’t think I knew you’d leave at one point?! You don’t think I knew something like this would happen? I left you those toys for a reason. I knew you would take them. Why do you think they were the next model and brand-new? Come on, you are not that dense. I gave you protection and you know why.”

 

Laura caught onto the ‘because I care’ pretty quickly. And once again her heart hurt. She knew that voice.

 

“ If you need _incentive_ ,” Tony growled, “ I have cleared your name. You are found innocent on all charges and are a free woman. Not only that, but I have knew identities for you too. And if that isn’t enough, because lets be real,” He chuckled brokenly, “ It never is for you people. I have a room with your name on it. There is even protection, from the government, from Ross, from anyone. All you have to do is try and save that family. If you fail…if you fail you’re still welcome here and I wont hold it against you.”

 

The woman wanted to tell Tony to shut up. She wanted to tell him to stop giving himself and everything he had away. It sounded like he had this planed for a long time and if this hadn’t had happened she would’ve joined later rather than sooner.

 

“Alright.”

 

Tony didn’t relax like she thought he would, “ The information is being sent to your phone now. There is even a new toy being sent your way that should get you there faster. Call when you can.”

 

The call ended faster than it had come. The silence seemed to slowly increase and burry the two under the waves. The genius sat on the couch head in his hands. As if the strings that had been holding him up had been cut.

 

“Tony,” She murmured sitting beside him, “ Tony, how long have you known where Natasha is?”

 

After a minute, she thought he was ignoring her. However, he slowly turned his head to look her, “ Since she left. I never lost her.”

 

Laura released a breath she was holding. He had known all this time, “Why?”

 

He stared at her and then looked to his hands. His thumb was slowly rubbing circles into the palm of his other hand as if it were comforting, “ There were reasons that I will tell you later why I had to report her, why I had to force her to leave. But she is still apart of _this_. Whatever _this_ is, I don’t know. But she still is apart of it and I refuse to let her go. I refuse to let any of them go yet.”

 

In a way, she was in awe of him before he showed up offering her a safe place for her kids. He had helped her family before and she respected that but now…Now, she was amazed at this man before her. He could fight until his last breath and still say it wasn’t enough.

 

“Tell me,” She whispered as she laid a soft hand onto his shoulder, “Tell me about this Harley Keener.”

 

Tony smiled a small smile and opened his mouth and told her a story about a boy who dragged Ironman back onto his feet.


	6. Head Held Hostage

Tony’s mind never ceased. It ran constantly either he wanted it to or not. There had always been numbers, statistics, and mathematics that would continue to run tirelessly through his head. It was one of the reasons why he was never abled to sleep. The mind can normally process one thought strand at a time. His could process six or more. It was the price of being a genius and sometimes a price he wish he didn’t have to pay.

 

When the events of The Accords began to unfold, his mind had already ran the probabilities. He used everything, from his past experiences with the team to the files that he had pulled from the old S.H.I.E.L.D. organization before it had fallen. When Rogers began to show his hand in the beginning, it only helped him see the future more clearly. Before everything had started, the genius knew it wasn’t going to end well.

 

He, however, was prepared. In his life, people had always left. It wasn’t anything important. They would just get what they wanted or couldn’t take him more than a few hours at a time. There were also those that just had to leave. It was nothing new nor was it anything to cry about.

 

In life, people would always leave and he could usually guess when. The numbers were the only things that could never lie. They were based on facts and patterns to determine what would most likely come. It gave him comfort in his time of need. So when it came time for people to choose sides, the math made it obvious who would end up alone.

 

It was fine. It was all fine. He knew Steve would always be a first choice. Ignoring his daddy issues, Rogers had always been able to draw a crowd. It was a talent that had increased with the damn serum. The man was a slice of American history. He could sneeze and the whole world would run to give him a tissue.

 

Upon the Avengers quickly trickling to the man’s side, he tried not to get offended. That was just how things were and he didn’t want over think it. However, when he found the compound echoing the silence he avoided, he tried to remind himself that it was always going to end like this. The numbers provided the information along time ago, but it never was able to soften the blow.

 

When Natasha stayed by his side, he was flabbergasted. There wasn’t any probability where this was a conceivable concept. The evidence all pointed to her leaving him in the dust. The woman’s career was based on how to disappear. She had the tools and the means to do so. He couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t abandoned him yet.

 

It was no secret that the two had past. When he was dying form the arc reactor, the woman had appeared to spy on him. After stabbing him in the neck, he hadn’t thought that he would ever trust her again. However, the Battle of New York had changed his perspective on that subject.

There was nothing there for her by his side. He couldn’t give her anything. Bruce wasn’t there (which was another issue he couldn’t deal with at the moment). Clint had chosen retirement but later returned to the Captain's side. The assassin had nothing personal left by staying at his side nor any tactile advantage. Yet, she stayed, and he hated to admit that it had left him feeling safe when with her.

 

The betrayal wasn’t in the numbers. It was blocked by his emotional need to think that someone was on his side. That _someone_ believed in him. She always shocked him and never let him catch his feet. The woman challenged him and sometimes gave him comfort when everything was overwhelming. He foolishly turned his back on the math and statistics, because she stayed. (Something that only Pepper and Rhodey had ever done.)

 

Upon finding out that she let the Brooklyn Boys leave, he had a wish to have the reactor back into his chest. Just so he could finish Obadiah’s wish to rip it out. The engineer was tired of fighting. At that point, he was also tired of being alone. Then...she had to let them go.

 

The worst part is that he isn’t even mad. Not then and not now. The pain he felt was good at masking anything else but reminding him of her betrayal. The only anger he felt was to himself. He should’ve seen it coming. The genius let himself be blinded with his ignorance. It was pathetic that he turned his back on the facts because he wanted to believe that someone could stay. It was pathetically disgusting.

 

Ross had come to him when finding out what the assassin had done. His response to Natasha’s choice with such hatred made a chill go down his spine. The threat was real and he knew how to deal with those, which made him feel better about the choices he was going to have to make. If he didn’t play it just right, Natasha could be arrested or killed. It didn’t seem that far of a leap with the constant threats Ross has been giving him.

 

Even if she chose Steve, she was still a frien-acquaintance. Despite everything, she was still the one who has fought by his side in New York, Ultron, and a part of the war. The woman had already paid her due, and he had to make sure that the at least had a chance. She meant well, and finally played the part his numbers had predicted. It just took a while for her to decide.

 

So he played Ross like a violin. The genius informed him that he will call the officers and see to the matter personally. After all, it was his fault for choosing to trust her. The general seemed to find the answer satisfactory and responded with the want to help. Even with his best efforts, he couldn’t deny the man without risking him catching onto his game.

 

The man gave Ross several hoops to jump through giving him a few hours to get Natasha out of the vicinity. After getting him of his trail, Tony went to the assassin’s quarters after stopping by his makeshift workshop. He left the emergency kit he had created onto her bed. It was filled with new upgrades that were long lasting. She had to at least have a chance, if he had anything to do about it.

 

The genius had intimate knowledge of how the worked. It would be cruel and unforgiving to her; she needed all the she could get. Her files had been leaked in the public. That meant that all of her old covers were blown and he doubted that her new ones were as concrete. When he gave her a chance to run, he accepted the consequences that were to come.

 

He couldn’t fool himself. Ross had known what he had done. The main point though, was that here wasn’t any proof. He couldn’t be arrested for treason if there wasn’t any evidence. Despite no ground for investigation, Ross had his own ways a punishment. He wished he could forget what the man could do.

 

Tony couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Did the woman even care? The things he’d done to let her escape left him in the hot seat. He paid dearly for what he’d done and,he didn’t regret it. It was him once again having to answer for others. All his sacrifices couldn’t just mean nothing. They had to something. Yet, it didn’t seem like it.

 

He had no right to ask her for help. The man knows this. However, Harley was paying for his mistakes. The young buy’s family was being attacked because him. This couldn’t happen and she was the only one that could possibly get there in time. The Keener’s couldn’t die. They couldn’t just be gone.

 

Images of the family being tortured filled his mind. The blood seemed to paint his thoughts and their screams filled his ears. Was this happening right now? Did Natasha get there in time? God, they can’t be dead. Please, just don’t be dead.

 

“-ony? Tony?”

 

His brown eyes blinked out of his thoughts and into the living room. By the glance of the clock, he had been his mind for an hour or so. Apparently he was still in the Barton’s living room. When did he get on the couch with a blanket?

 

There was a tug on shoulder, “Tony? Come on…”

 

He looked up to his side, “ Hey, Biggest Agent. Seems I zoned out.”

 

Cooper lifted a single brow looking way too much like his mother. He held a babbling Nathaniel in his arms. The boy had been doing great after the move. He was more expressive and wasn’t afraid to pull him or Laura aside if he felt like he needed to talk about his feelings.

 

“You’ve been out for a while,” he began, “ Kinda freaking me out, not gonna lie.”

 

Tony winced. He couldn’t afford to worry anyone else. This was about trying to take care of them and aid them in whatever they needed. His emotions needed to keep in check. This was getting ridiculous.

 

“Sorry about that. It’s been a long day,” He murmured stretching slightly. When looking around, he found Lila sitting on the carpet using a few books has a flat surface to draw on. It looked colorful and entirely innocent.

 

Harley’s face flashed before his eyes, and he had to swallow the lump in his throat. A memory of a time when the genius visited the Keener’s came into mind. Haryley had been so excited when he had arrived. He took him into his room where the boy had drawings covering the walls. They were inventions and ideas scattered across reminding him of his workshop.

 

The engineer had been so impressed with him that they spent the whole night going through every one of them. Tony knew that the boy was special before, but this helped him see how. They would’ve stayed up all night if Ms. Keener hadn’t heckled them out of their inventing binge.

 

A cold chill flushed the warmth of the memory out of his system. What if he wouldn’t get to have those moments again? Harley’s genius would die along with his innocent life. Their lives would be nothing but the countless people that were murdered. No one would even question it, but to him they were more. He’s watched Harley’s sister grow up and was there when she had said her first curse word. The engineer watched as Ms. Keener scolded the child trying not to laugh.

 

They were everything good in the world. That family, like the Bartons, had the values that he wanted to protect. They were innocent people who had nothing to do with villains, aliens, etc. These people were-they just-These people loved recklessly and had a family. Everything he wanted in his life.

 

And he was going to get them all killed because that is what he does. He gets people killed-

 

“-his is not working. Okay, watch out! Incoming!”

 

Before his thoughts went deeper, his breath was knocked out of his lungs. The weight of a tiny body on his chest made him refuse the instinct to knock the weight off. A loud gurgling sound filled his ear and was that? Yep.

 

At a quick glance down he found baby drool pouring out of Nathaniel’s mouth and onto his shirt. It wasn’t the worst thing he’s been covered with considering the stuff down the workshop. So, he just patted the tiny human’s back and watched as Nathaniel’s bright eyes looked at his. The laughter that followed from the baby’s lips made him want to get FRIDAY to record it so he could play it back repeatedly.

 

“Cooper, you can’t just toss your brother like that!,” An amused yet stern voice filtered through the living room.

 

The oldest scoffed and held a smirk, “If I remember right, Dad would throw Lila onto you when you wanted to get up early…”

 

It took a moment for her to keep her mock scowl in place. This was one of the first times her son was able to joke about his father. She refused to make a big deal out of it. The woman didn't want him to take it the wrong way.

 

“That does not mean you can just _throw_ your brother!"

 

“Well,” Lila muttered as she glanced at her mother and then back at her coloring, “He did…so…”

 

Tony let out a little snort at her blunt response. The little girl would be the death of him. Her sarcasm was already at a professional level. Should he be worried? Probably. Should he not laugh because she interprets that as a positive reinforcement? Definitely.

 

Laura looked at her daughter in a baffled manner. She couldn’t remember when her little girl sharpened her tongue. The mother of three sat down on the couch beside the genius. She looked at the older man, “This is all your fault. She hangs around you too much.”

 

“And that’s a bad thing, how?,” Lila responded.

 

Tony patted the babbling baby, “ Alright, that’s enough Lila. Be nice to your mother.”

 

The younger one nodded and went back to drawing. He tilted his head sideways in confusion. Just like that? It shouldn’t have been easy.

 

Upon seeing his obvious confusion, Laura let out a secret smile. He was slowly looking like a parent figure and the man had no clue. She hoped she would be there when he realized it.There was no doubt that the moment would be priceless.

 

“ Actually,” Tony hummed after Cooper went and sat down in a recliner while being occupied by his phone, “ Laura, I wanted to run something by you.”

 

She turned to him and smiled, “ Yes?”

 

He cleared his throat. His hand cupped Nathaniel’s head as the baby decided his shirt was a good chew toy, “I just…I’ve had this idea. I know my ideas have never ended well…But this could be able to help-“

 

“Tony.”

 

“Right,” He murmured. His signature glare lost its heat as he aimed it at her, “I know there are things out there we can never stop. There are things that happen that come out of nowhere, but I can’t help but fear that one of us might not be there for the kids in time.”

 

The lump in his throat caused him to cough, “ I’ve been working on these new electronic barriers that can help block outside forces. They can be used in dire situations. Maybe even give people some time and protection while waiting for help. They are too expensive to put on the market. Like, I would just put these things on the market-because in the wrong hands this could be used in a disastrous attempt to-“

 

Laura put a hand on his knee again. Her brown orbs looked at him, bringing him back into the present, “ Come on, genius. Stay with me. What about these barrier things?”

 

“I can make them into wearable devices. They can,” He swallowed, “ I mean…I can make them for the kids. They can use them if something happens.”

 

She took a moment to decipher what the billionaire was saying. He was doing it again. The man was offering another way to protect the children in the building. Did he ever stop?

 

“ Tony,” She said softly, “I think that’s a good idea. We can’t protect them all the time. But we can certainly give them what we can. It’s perfect.”

 

The two stared at each other for a moment. A relieved look spread across the man’s face. It had been clear to her that he’d been playing with this idea for a long time. It seemed The Accords took another thing away from the man. He was afraid to pitch certain ideas because obviously The Accords didn’t go so well. She also had a feeling Ultron did not help matters.

 

Cooper’s voice broke the two’s moment, “I want a watch.”

 

Tony looked at him a brow raised, “I’m sorry?”

 

“The thing you guys were talking about. I want mine to be a watch,” The boy mentioned shamelessly. He seemed to respond to their genius’s discomfort with a smile.

 

The oldest looked over to his sister who had seemed to not notice the conversation, “ What do you think, Lila? What kind of thing do you want? Necklace? Bracelet? What?”

 

She didn’t even pause,” A necklace.”

 

“What kind of necklace? A star? Heart?,” Cooper pressed on. It was annoying Lila could never give him a straight answer.

 

This time it seemed Lila took a moment to think. Her hand came up under her chin. She hummed for a moment before her face lit up and looked at her brother, “ A Lego one! There was this one online that I saw on the computer! It was a pretty silver one and shiny! I really liked it. Can I have one Mom? Tony, can I have one?”

 

Laura cocked her head to the side at her daughter,” Legos? Honey, you’ve never liked Legos before.”

 

The little girl put down her colored pencil and pointed at Tony. This made the genius blink, “ I used to not like them, but they’re like what Tony and Cooper does! They build stuff and Legos mean building stuff.”

 

The two adults looked at each other. She saw the emotion Tony tried to shove down. Laura smiled and patted his shoulder. She took a moment to note that her youngest child was asleep using the man’s shoulder as a pillow. It seemed the engineer had more of a place than he thought.

 

“Yes. We’ll make sure of that,” Laura responded,” And don’t worry. We’ll get Cassie something too.”

 

“ I’m sorry, but Natasha is on the line, sir.” FRIDAY cut off their conversation, ignoring formalities.

 

Tony looked up still holding Nathaniel. His heart pounded into his chest at the words. This would give him the answers he didn’t want. It would mean he would live his life knowing that he killed the Keeners. All because they knew him. Don’t let them be dead. He refused to continue knowing that these people died. The guilt would eat him alive.

 

“Put her through,” He choked out. There were eyes on him. He could feel them, but he couldn’t care.

 

“Tony, We are about an hour out,” Natasha’s voice came through. Tony strained to hear the sobbing he heard in the background. His heart dropped as she continued, “ We need an emergency medical staff as soon as we get there. I don’t know if they can even make it, but we have to try.”

 

Tony bowed his head. Now wasn’t time to figure out who was sobbing. It wasn’t time to let his fear crush him. He didn’t have time. People need him and all he needed was to ensure that they had a chance. He could do that.

 

However, he couldn’t stop the pleading in his mind. Don’t let them die. Please, don’t let them die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, just got back to college. Syllabus week is a lot busier than I remember. Anyway, I've been at this for a few days and I don't if I liked how this turned out. 
> 
> Thank you for all the support!


	7. Laura's Rage

It had been a few hours since the Keeners and the assassin had arrived. It had been a whir of information and medical staff for the first few hours. Though the doctors were the best Tony could find, it still worried the group when they expressed concern. The genius’s expressions had left them all with a haunted feeling.

 

The miracle of the situation is the little girl had no injuries. Well, physical injuries anyway. They did have to sedate her when taking her other family members into separate rooms. She might’ve calmed down if the engineer was there, but he had to go to meeting with Ross or risk the Keeners being evicted before being cared for.

 

The building’s name was in Stark’s. However, they all suspected Ross had threatened something entirely different to get him to the meeting. Tony had fought tooth and nail trying to express that he had to be there, but the General was not going to take “No” for an answer.

 

Upon further information, the little girls name was Andrea. If you called her anything but Annie, there would be hell. The girl was stubborn and Maggie had tossed out the idea that she got it from Tony. The others couldn’t help but agree on that one. No one did stubborn like the man.

 

Darcy and Jane had decided to take the kids off the others’ hands for a while. They didn’t need to be in the hospital wing waiting for hours. Maggie, Hope, and Laura had decided to stay behind and stay in Annie’s room. The girl looked so small on the bed.

 

Hope had been leaning against the wall near the door. She seemed uncomfortable with medical staff, “Did they really have to sedate her?”

 

Maggie turned to her and raised an eyebrow, “What else were they going to do? She wasn’t going to calm down. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it was the only way.”

 

Laura sighed and stared at the six year-old. She found herself thinking about the heartbreak the child was going to have to wake up to. There was nothing for her to do, and she hated feeling helpless. It was up to the doctors to take care of the Keeners.

 

Her heart went out to them. She couldn’t imagine the pain they would be going through. It was going to be tough, but she was confident that they could help them through. However, Tony was going to be a different story.

 

The man carried enough guilt. This was going to kill him. Especially since he wasn’t able to be there for them upon their arrival. Laura shuddered remembering the way Annie had screamed for their genius.

 

The last thing the women had heard was the other two Keeners were still in critical condition. No one had any information as to how his or her injuries were sustained. There had been too many things going on at the time to question any specifics. Now that they had a quiet moment, it seemed curiosity began to form.

 

Laura ran a hand through her hair in exhaustion. She winced when a finger caught a few times. It wouldn’t hurt to go freshen up for a moment. Her eyes fell onto the tiny figure on the hospital bed and she decided to stay. Annie should wake up realizing the support she had.

 

She studied the young figure. Annie was a precious girl. The woman could tell that she’d be a spitfire while growing up. Her features held a soft innocent that reminded her of Lila. After the doctors had washed the blood out of the young girl’s hair, the golden locks curled slightly just brushing her shoulders. She was a pretty girl that shouldn’t have to go through this.

 

However, she was in the right place. Once Laura had gotten to know everyone, she found they were all broken. Though they weren’t broken in the same ways. Long ago Laura had thought her family was the only ones that were struggling. She had been so wrong.

 

They all had their fears. Jane, she had found out, had a crippling fear of not being fast enough with her research. It turned out that she had been researching Thor’s gateway for years now. Just recently she had been searching for the Infinity Stones. The scientist had confided that she feared all of it would be for nothing or her research on the Infinity Stones would be found too late.

 

It had been a shocking discovery. Laura had seen Jane at work many times and her confidence had made the mother of three envious. Tony’s media smile flashed across her mid. It seemed that the genius wasn’t the only one who had been faking it.

“We need to be a unit,” She murmured to herself. The woman rested her elbows on her knees and took a breath. This wasn’t how she pictured her life. If someone had told her when she younger this was her life, she would’ve laughed in their face. Yet, here she was, a wife to a superhero who was now on the run from the government.

 

Hope cleared her throat, “I agree. This whole thing isn’t going to work without us coming together. “

 

Maggie looked at her in surprise. The woman looked just as uncomfortable with the idea as she felt. During this whole process, no one wanted to get closer. The reason why they were in this mess has been because they were too close. She cocked her head to the side and mulled over their options.

 

“If not for us,” She began as chewed her lip, “ Then for the kids. Especially now, we have some new additions. We can’t afford to get worse.”

 

Laura looked the women with an eyebrow raised. She had not been expecting them to hear her, let alone agree. The kids were important to them. There was no doubt in her mind. Now that they all can have some common ground, it might work out for the best.

 

The businesswoman raised an eyebrow back at her, “ So, what are we going to do?”

 

A smile formed on her lips, “ It’s a hit with the kids. It can be a hit with us. What do you think about a mandatory movie night?”

 

They all took a second to think it over. Maggie nodded, “It’ll get Jane and Tony out of their labs for a few hours. That could work. The kids will be occupied. So, it sounds like a good start.”

 

Before the woman could respond, Tony walked in followed by a woman in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Laura’s eyes narrowed immediately at the way his hands were shaking slightly. He was not comfortable with her and it was very obvious.

 

Her honey brown eyes travelled to the red head beside him. It is very rare for Laura to experience rage. She has only felt it a couple times in her lifetime, but when she saw the woman, a fire ignited in her soul. Her chest tightened as the warmth spread throughout her body.

 

“ Hope and Maggie,” The genius cleared his throat trying not to look at Annie yet, “This is Natasha. Natasha, this is Hope and Maggie. Maggie is Lang’s daughter’s mother. Hope, I’m sure you know, is a very powerful woman. Don’t mess with them. They are scary women. Including Laura.”

 

The two strangers nodded to the Black Widow icily. Laura had explained during their downtime, who she was and what she played into the Civil War. They couldn’t stop the anger showing in their eyes. She was just another person who had abandoned their families, nothing more.

 

The moment had been shattered quickly when the body on the hospital bed began to shuffle. Annie’s eyes began to blink blurrily as she tried to recognize her surroundings. Her head turned side to side a few times before she landed on the engineer. Her eyes filled with tears upon realizing what all had happened.

 

Tony’s eyes softened to an extent no one had ever seen. Even Natasha took a step back in shock. The genius went to the bed without hesitation and pulled her into his lap. Her tear stained face found his shoulder and let out a sob. He wrapped his arms around her letting his hand pat her back.

 

“Shhh,” He hushed her gently, “It’s alright Annie-Bear. I’ve got you now. You don’t have to be alone anymore. I’ve got you. I’m so sorry I was late, Bear. So sorry.”

 

Annie let out a wail that sounded a lot like his name and snuggled in harder. Her shaking form seemed to cling to him as if he were the only thing keeping her alive. It was a complete difference than what they had seen before. Tony seemed to take it in stride as he whispered, what sounded like Italian, in her ear.

 

The women sensed a private moment and quietly began to leave the room. Laura stalled enough to give Tony’s shoulder a squeeze. The genius’s eyes turned to her for a moment and she held her breath. The guilt in his eyes had been so intense. Her breath was let out in a shutter and she turned to give them alone time.

 

When she closed the door, she turned to find the redhead’s back to her. The woman walking away caused her rage to return. How dare she walk away without even speaking to her? Her hands clenched into fists.

 

The hand on her shoulder caused her to turn to find Maggie and Hope nodding at her, “We’ve got your back. Go.”

 

Laura nodded and stalked towards the woman, “ Natasha!”

 

Hearing her name be barked, the Black Widow turned around. She blinked at the rage appeared in the mother of three’s eyes. The assassin took a step back in case things got violent. She didn’t want to fight. There had been too much of that.

 

When Laura got to her, she couldn’t stop the hand that lashed out and slapped her across the face. Her shoulders’ hunched was she breathed heavily, “How dare you.”

 

She paused to wipe her hair out of her face, “ How _dare_ you. I can’t stand to even look at you right now. You left him! When he needed you, Natasha, you left him! You threw him to the wolves without a second though- _Don’t you dare speak right now._ ”

 

Natasha’s mouth snapped shut while her eyes narrowed. It took a moment for Laura to notice that the assassin’s hair had been damp. Considering her cloths as well, she concluded that the woman had to wash all the blood off and didn’t have any cloths besides the generic ones. An image of her in the car with Annie filled her mind. For some reason, this just fueled her anger.

 

“And I was there for that phone call,” she snarled, “ You were just going to let a family die. You were going to let innocents be killed by _assassins._ Do not claim you are hero and do not claim you are here for Tony. You’re only here because he was able to save your ass. An ass, that mind you, abandoned him. So tread lightly, Widow. He might forgive easy but I am not. “

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait. I've been dealing with some things. I'm going to try and update as frequently as I can. Thank you all for the support!


	8. Natasha's Knowledge

Natasha’s ice blue eyes narrowed at the woman before her. It was so strange to think back to the times when they were close. She had witnessed Lila’s first steps after all. Now, they were in different worlds.

 

It took her off guard at Laura’s stance on the matter. For her to so quickly be infatuated with Stark was too flabbergasting. The assassin took a deep breath and reminded herself now was not the time to fight. There had been too much of that as it was. Besides, Laura wasn’t going to be open to listen to her.

 

She flicked her gaze to the two behind her. What were Van Dyne and Maggie doing here? Last time she checked the genius has been alone for a few months. Rhodes had left to go home after getting the hang of his new legs. The word she had gotten back was the man wanted to visit his family for sometime. Apparently Tony had been invited as well, but he refused the offer claiming he was too busy to take a vacation.

 

However, he did ask for Vision to go with the man. After the war, she had been keeping eyes on the three and it seemed that the new being was struggling with what had transpired. They all were. Rhodes had agreed as long as Stark promised to rest. That was a lie Natasha was surprised the man accepted. Even she knew that the man wasn’t okay. She didn’t need surveillance to tell her that.

 

He had chosen isolation just like he had after Ultron. It seemed he hadn’t been alone for long. It seemed that he touched these woman deeply for them to be so loyal. For a moment, she wondered if he was blackmailing the families of the others to get revenge. The assassin very quickly erased that thought from her mind. Tony had never done that before. He wasn’t some villain in the grand scheme of things. He just makes poor decisions.

 

“What are you all doing here,” She wondered out loud raising her brows.

 

Laura growled at her taking a step forward. She was taking a fighting stance but was not going to make the first move again, “What is it to you? Do you really think you have the right to ask anything of me? Of _us?_ ”

 

“I need to know what Stark has to do with you. I can’t just ignore that you all are in one place. It is very unsettling, Laura.”

 

“Stark,” Hope began and put a comforting hand on Laura’s steaming shoulder,” Took us in after realizing how much danger we were in. Unlike you, he takes care of those despite what ‘side’ we were on. Could you imagine what would’ve happened to the kids if they stayed unprotected?”

 

Before her teeth could bite her tongue the words had already began spewing out, “ You mean like what happened with the Keeners?”

 

Laura’s eyes widened and she stepped back as if she had been slapped herself. Her mouth stayed agape at the words. Natasha regretted them but nothing she could say could take them back now.

 

“ You absolute bitch-“

 

_“That is enough”_

 

The women turned to find Tony stalking towards them. His eyes were cold with a slight flame behind them. His glance travelled to every one in the group. The man stepped in between cutting off their tension with his aura.

 

“ I leave you alone for mere minutes and you turn to fighting one another?,” he questioned harshly, “ Do you know what all is at stake here? I have a family in my medical wing and others relying on _me_ to keep them safe. The least you could do is get along while I am trying to deal with this.”

 

Laura opened her mouth and closed it for a moment, “ Tony-“

 

“No,” He held up his hand to her, “No, I am not finished. Natasha was right. I should’ve thought about the Keeners before now. I thought if I spaced out bringing people in, it would be less obvious to others that I am protecting many. Yet, I was wrong. I have to rush in getting everyone I intend to protect together. “

 

“ No, she is not right! You have been doing all you can,” she exclaimed pushing his hand out the way defiantly, “ Stop holding the world on your shoulders! Jesus Christ! You are only one man, Iron or not. This isn’t our fault! Take these words and own them! People are so quick to blame you for everything that goes wrong. But what about what goes right?

 

“You have given my children and I home to live and be protected by those who want us dead. You extended the offer to Maggie and her daughter. You allowed another company to move into yours for their safety. And what about Jane and Darcy? They were living in a van last time we talked. Now she has the lab she deserves and Darcy is able to do—whatever the hell Darcy does. You are not your enemy.”

 

Tony let a hand run through his hair, “ Stop it, Laura. This is no time for this. I have too much on my mind. I came here to tell you what I’ve found about the others, Harley is in critical condition and Mrs. Keener is finally stabilized.”

 

Natasha nodded at the thought, “ Did you know the kid had built something akin to a lightsaber? He had been using it to protect the family. He was scary good.”

 

A light smile ghosted onto Tony’s face at the image. The kid was smart and many late night visits proved that. To hear that he was fighting made him bitterly happy.

 

“When I got there, I tried. But their mother had been shot in the leg and I couldn’t stop them before Harley had gotten shot in the side. I did make it clear, though, that whoever was to try something like this again would be going through hell. That doesn’t mean it won’t stop them-“

 

“But it _does_ mean that they were warned,” The genius watched Natasha nod,” Alright, let’s all go into the office on the floor above. I need to speak with you about something. It didn’t go well last time. So, let us hope it goes better this time around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short update but I figured it was better than nothing. Thank you all for your support!


	9. His Plans

The room was quiet as everyone had settled down into the conference room their genius had lead them to.  It was a modern themed area filled with grays and dark blue. A long glass table with chairs on either side was settled in the middle. The women quickly filled the room in silence not knowing what else to do.  

Natasha sat down by the end watching as the other women move across to the other making as much room between them as possible. Before she could stop herself, she made note that neither head of the table had a chair. It was a minor detail but an important one.  The assassin crossed her legs and sat back stoically.

Tony had been outside the room waiting for Jane and Darcy to make their way to the conference room. He had asked them to come up and let one of his daycare employees watch the kids for a moment. Despite his nerves about this topic, he knew that he needed everyone here. It was mainly because he didn’t think he could take having to explain this twice.

Once the two had stopped at the door giving him a questioningly glance, the genius gave them a blinding smile allowing them to enter first. He stepped in behind them only to stop at the entry way. Though his chest was tight and heart beating fast, he felt it drop at the sight. It seemed the women had taken their sides.

The man wondered if he should let it go. It would save a headache in the long run. Nor did he know if forcing them together would even mend what was broken between them. It was very clear downstairs that neither had any intention of giving the other the benefit of the doubt. He almost let it slide. To allow himself to walk into the room ignoring the chasm that had already formed.

However, his mind flashed back to the meeting he had with Steven during the war. The way neither side seemed to want to listen to other.  He remembered feeling that his views and points were being ignored. Is that what Steve felt too? If they had just tried harder, then there might’ve something different than the reality he was in.

He knew that he had messed up. God, did he know. The genius faced the fact everyday as other problems surfaced reminding him of all he has done wrong. His mistakes got people killed but so did his decisions. He was damned either way. Yet, that didn’t mean they had to be.

Tony held up his hand stopping Jane and Darcy from sitting down by Maggie. All the eyes turned towards him as he stepped further into the room.  Laura watched in amazement. It was like clockwork. The gears began to shift and their Tony slowly turned into the Stark he was known for. His shoulders straightened to a perfect posture. The eyes that were so expressive turned into deadly pools of chocolate.

He gave a fanged smirk and gestured between the gap, “Yea-this? This isn’t going to fly.”

“You can’t be serious, Stark.”

The billionaire looked towards the redhead with quirked eyebrow, “You, of all people, should know there is very few things I can’t do. I refuse to have grown adults acting like teenagers. It doesn’t matter if  _any_  of you like it or not,” he said looking at everyone, “Whoever is in this room, in the future or now, will always be welcome. If they want to stay, they are going to stay.”

The group stared at him unblinkingly. The tension in the room began to rise as he glanced between them and the gap. It seemed that no one was going to move at first. Minutes had passed by and no one made a sound nor did they make a move.  Tony continued to stare everyone down individually.  This meeting wasn’t going to start until someone decided to give.

Some pride had to be swallowed to move forward. Tony had already done a lot. There was no pride left for him to let go off. After the Civil War, he realized that it didn’t matter it took. There had to be sacrifices made for things to move forward. So, sacrifice he did.

It wasn’t enough. Though he hated to admit it to himself, what he did wasn’t enough on its own. Lead a horse to water but no one can make it drink. If none of these women wanted to make it work, he would have to accept it and move on with another plan.

Time kept passing making his hope dwindle. He had thought that at least Laura would see the reasoning behind it. Of course, he didn’t expect her anger towards Natasha. They had known each other for so long. He just assumed that they would at least be happy to see the other was alive. The genius still couldn’t understand why Laura was so bent on being angry because of him no less. It made no sense.

He wasn’t afraid to admit that he needed this to work out. There were other back up plans he had made.  There were dozens in fact, but this plan was the only one he felt comfortable with. There had been good probabilities. It was the most favorable that didn’t involve some sketchy business or deals with devils.

The man sighed as he went through the next few options he had.  He would need to get FRIDAY to make an appointment with Ross at the earliest convenience. There could be a trading of information to ensure an even playing ground. He would need to stay up tonight to make a big enough blackmail pile for a safety net.  Tony crossed his arms and let his back lean against the wall.

There wouldn’t be any information about the Hulk he would trade. It would be exactly what Ross would be after, but it could be turned to his favor. There is also an option that the General would request that he make weapons. He had already asked before to no avail. If he could find what Ross really needed, besides weapons, he could make this easy.

This wasn’t going to be easy no matter how he handled it. He was fine with begging on his knees, if he knew it would work. The only way to get the man on his side would be to do favors for him, ones that he would have no choice but to do. If he came to giving the information about the Hulk or weapons…well, there would just more blood on his hands. Bruce would never end up in this man’s hands ever again-

Darcy stood stomped her foot exclaiming,” Fine!”

She rolled the empty chair beside her away. Tony winced when it smacked against the wall,” Fine,” She murmured again in an annoyed tone,” Move-he said. It’ll be fun- he said.”

The strange woman stalked towards Natasha at the end of the long table. She grumbled the whole way. The sound of her feet stomping on the floor made Jane’s brow lift up and shake her head. The room watched in surprise as she grabbed the back of Natasha’s chair and yank back. The assassin’s quick reflexes caused her to lift her feet and grip the chair tightly.

While she was wheeled to the other side of the room, Darcy continued to grumble,” Don’t be teenagers-he said. Well excuse you, I radiate youngness. God, stupid people not listening to what anyone says. So annoying.”

Tony watched in utter amazement as she parked the Black Widow beside her own chair. The woman yelled,” STAY,” and sat back down crossing her arms. It took a moment for everyone to realize what had just transpired within the room. Natasha seemed to fake nonchalance as she re-crossed her legs. She did however, glance at Darcy through her hair and for moment there was a flash of amusement.

It reminded the genius of the times the team had spent together. Clint would say something stupid that would make her threat violence but she held that same look. His heart clenched painfully at the memories. They were pushed back into the back of his mind. These things would no good here. It wasn’t time to wallow.

Laura seemed to shift in her seat to catch Tony’s eyes. She gave him a hesitant nod to indicate that she was going to let it go. Though the tension in the room grew, the dread in his stomach lessened. If they could get past this, he would be okay. He could figure everything else out. If they were willing to try, it would be okay.

Tony straightened himself up and walked to the cabinet in the corner of the room. He opened the top drawer quietly after putting his thumb up to a scanner that was not visible to the naked eye. The man hated to hide this in plain sight, but it was the only way Ross wouldn’t suspect anything. No one expected Iron Man to know subtlety.

The files felt heavy in his arms as he counted to make sure he had enough. The meeting had been something he hoped to hold when he had more people recruited. The Keeners seemed to have changed his plans quite a bit. He waited until he passed out the last one to speak up.

“This is exactly what you think this is,” He began taking a place at the head of the table standing tall. There was a moment where he let everyone open their folders and see the contents inside. It took a little longer than he expected for some of them to get it.

Laura’s head shot up her eyes wide as she stared at the genius,” Are you  _insane?!_ ”

“Despite what you all think, this is a well thought out decision,” Tony started, “The Accords can be a good thing. They can help us and others like us including the family of those who help defend us. I know that they are far from perfect right now. I have been changing them along with Rhodey and Vision during our meetings. But it’s not enough.”

The man took a break for everyone to listen. His heart was hammering in his chest reminding him of what happened last time these files were out. There was fighting and no one had been listening to one another. They had to fix it. This was a second chance to do what was right. It was a chance to learn from their past and make a brighter future.

“If you do not wish to help, that is okay. I understand that. However, we need you. All of you have different perspectives. You are mothers, scientists, ex-assassins, and most of all you are people from different lives. You’ve seen what happened during the Civil War. You all reacted differently because you understood other sides of it. We need that to understand what we must change or take into consideration when wanting a change.”

Maggie took a moment to look through the papers. Her eyebrows bunched together, “I don’t know. I’m literally just a Mom. I don’t even know how to begin with writing or changing a document like this. Neither does Laura! We appreciate what you do, but things like this aren’t for simple people. We are talking about influencing governments and lives here.”

“Well,” Jane responded ignoring the way every turned towards her, “He does have a point. In science, the way to better understand any experiment is to understand the different variables. I’m not thrilled about this nor do I even know how to approach it. I do know that it makes sense to have people from all over different spectrums to come together. “

“We’ve tried this once before. What makes you think this time is different?”

Tony held in a sigh and gave a sideways glance at Natasha. It was getting really tiring to have another person second guessing his plans, “I cannot change what happened back then. I reacted badly to the situation. I know that, but if we stop trying to make this better, there isn’t a way to progress. We have to learn from our mistakes. Tell me, Natasha. Are you happy where we all ended up? Some of us on the run, others in hiding, and the people all over the world cautious of us? Is this satisfactory for you?”

“You know damn well this isn’t what I wanted,” She growled glaring at the man before her.  The air thickened around her as she crossed her arms defensively. Her eyes narrowed into slits.

“Then what is the problem about trying to change it,” He asked gesturing to the people in the room, “What is wrong with  _trying_  to make it better?”

“There is nothing wrong with trying to change it,” She responded hotly, “The problem is you. Every time you try to ‘make it better’ things got worse. Do you want me to list of the ways?”

Before Tony could respond, Laura slammed her hand on the table, “Natasha! I don’t want to hear anything out of your mouth that has anything to do with blaming Tony. I think we can all agree that we need to put our past behind us and to continue forward. I’m willing to start over again, if you are willing to let this grudge against Tony go.”

After a beat of silence, Jane piped up, “I don’t know you all that well, but I know we all are willing to give Natasha a chance, if she gives Tony one in return.”

The room nodded in agreement murmurs flowing through. Natasha gave a raised eyebrow at the genius. He gave a helpless shrug in return, “I don’t know what just happened either. Trust me; these ladies do whatever they want. “

Darcy laughed, “You’re damn right we do.”

The women shared a smile and watched as Natasha gave a hesitant one as well. The billionaire let out a tiny sigh of relief. This had been more than he can ask for. It was a long a way to go, but they had a start.

“I hate to break it to you,” Hope spoke up. She hadn’t the whole ordeal. It was a good tactic to wait and see everyone’s status before making any kind of suggestion, “A lot of these women have no idea how to go about reading a document like this. I’m not stating they’re dumb. I’m saying that this is different than a type of novel.”

Tony nodded in agreement, “She’s right. That’s why I’ve teamed up with lawyers in my company. They’ve sent some people down that will be available to you whenever you like.  There are around six people. So, don’t break them please.  They will be living in a different area than you. I have handpicked them myself, but you cannot be too careful.”

“Wait,” Darcy murmured, “What are these guys for?”

“They’re to translate what these papers are saying,” The business woman responded, “You won’t be able to understand what is going on otherwise. You haven’t been trained like Tony and I have. It’s hard to see the loopholes and traps without someone there to guide you.”

Maggie looked at the papers again, “How can we get ahold of them besides face to face?”

“You can email, call, text, and leave a note if you need to,” The genius began, “I’m serious though, do not hesitate to use these resources.  They are literally getting paid to wait until you have a question or a session. “

There were a few more concerns being addressed when Natasha uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. Her elbows rested on the table as she clasped her hands together. Tony swallowed at the sudden change. The feeling of being hunted filled his chest.

“Since we’re asking questions,” She purred looking at him, “I have one of my own.”

He took at breath, “and that is?”

“You knew where I was. Even knew my number,” She began while watching the realization sprout in his eyes, “Who all do you know the whereabouts of?”

The room quieted down at the weight of the question. She wasn’t just referring to the families but to the Avengers as well.  The women looked at one another until they finally laid their eyes on their genius.

“It’s of no secret that I keep track of things,” Tony began. He needed to make it clear that he was not trying to deceive anyone, “In order to make sure everyone is safe, it’s a must. I started tracking you the moment you left. I never intended for you to go anywhere alone. I’ve explained this before. People are after you. They want the Avengers and those associated with them gone. In order to keep you and everyone else safe until they all can come back, I have to know.”

“Who all do you know the whereabouts of, Stark?”

“Everyone,” He spit out at her, “I know where Bruce is. I know where Steve is. Hell, I’ve got a guess as to where Thor is. Here is the thing, _Spider._ Bruce doesn’t want to be found. He isn’t ready yet. So, his location? It’s going to stay secret.  Steven and the gang? They are on the fucking _run_ from the government. Until I can get them back, there won’t be a peep from me. There are reasons why I do the things the way I do. “

Tony walked over the side of the table to where she was. He slowly leaned across staring into her eyes, “You can doubt me all you want. You can question everything I do. I deserve it, but when those questions cause everything I’m working towards to be put in jeopardy, _that_ is when I get hostile. I will not tell you where they are nor will you find out. Because if you do, someone else will find it and destroy them. So let me do what I do best _. Clean up everyone’s mess_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a journey, but I finally got here. Thank you for all the support. Hope this doesn't disappoint.


	10. Lawyers and Lies

Natasha and Tony stared at each other over several minutes. There was something in her eyes that he couldn’t explain. It was like only she was in on some joke that they shared. His brain was too busy bristling itself in anger to try to figure out the reason.

He hated her smug expressions. She carried herself in a way as if nothing could touch her. Did she not feel it? Was there not a hole in her, _somewhere_ , that used to hold the Avengers? The world held no color anymore, not for the genius and he assumed it would at least be for her as well. Maybe she didn’t care as much as he thought she did.

That couldn’t be possible. She couldn’t have been faking the whole time he had known her. She felt something for the team. She had to. There would be no way she would’ve fought for them the way she did before everything went south.

Tony tried to form the words but every time the words refused to come out. He couldn’t say what he wanted to-what he was scared to because if the answer wasn’t what he expected he wouldn’t know what to do. If she thought that what he was fighting for was for not, he would quit. He knew that without a doubt. If not one person felt the same about the team, what was the point?

Natasha sat back a little bit. Her eyes held a blank stare as if she was hearing what he was trying to say. _Does this matter? I need someone to tell me that this is right. Tell me that we meant something to each other. Tell me you’re willing to fight for it. Tell me that I’m not alone in this. We can’t be too far gone. Please, say something._

The assassin opened her mouth to speak but closed it. There was nothing she could say right now. There were no words that would make this better. They all had wounds from the war. Some had gone deeper than others, but this? This was something she hadn’t expected from Stark. There was desperation in him begging someone to connect with him. The woman felt a chill up her spine as she looked into his eyes and felt as if she was looking into a mirror.

The room was tense as the other women experienced this strange twist of events. There had been venom in both of their words not even moments ago. Now there was nothing, but a silent conversation that seemed way too intimate for an audience. Laura shifted in her seat a little trying process the look on Tony’s face.

“Boss, forgive me for interrupting but your guests arrived a few minutes ago. They are at the door now. Shall they come in?”

The billionaire continued to stare at her for another moment before a grin blossomed on his face. He straightened up and turned towards the door, “FRIDAY, my girl, no need to keep them waiting. Please let them in!”

The door unlocked and was opened by a fairly tall woman. She walked in with purpose and had five more people behind her.  Her hair was in a tall bun allowing the sharpness of her cheekbones to be shown.  Her purple tinted lips smiled at the sight of the genius before her.  The briefcase she held was set down on the table as she extended her hand forward.

Tony quickly grasped it using the excuse to pull her closer in for a hug, “Jenny! God, when was the last time we crossed paths in person! It is so wonderful to see you!”

The man continued to babble for moment putting his hands on her shoulder so he could look her up and down. She wore heels and a pencil skirt that reminded him a little too much of Pepper, but he shoved that down quickly. Tugging on the ribbon of her white blouse he winked, “Some fancy new cloths? That law firm must be treating you well. If they aren’t, you’ve gotta let me know. I can’t have one of the world’s finest lawyers go to waste on some egotistical establishment!”

“Egotistical?,” her low velvet voice questioned. A gentle brow raised, “Are we sure we aren’t talking about you?”

A hand went over his chest, “Wounded. I am so wounded right now. I am being civil Ms. Walters and you are being vicious. Who hurt you?  Tell me, my dear, and I shall whisk them straight to hell. “

The woman gave a low chuckle and shook her head at the antics. “The only thing that’s going to be hurt is your pride when you realize how smart I am compared to you.”

He squawked and pointed a finger at her, “Lies and slander! You are the rudest. I don’t even know why I invited you to this party!”

Before she could stop herself, Natasha crossed her arms and murmured, “Still need to teach you the definition of party.”

Tony turned to look at her for a moment. Shock was written all over his place before he could find his footing again. Once he did, he was off again rambling with wide hand gestures.

 Laura smiled softly looking at the others,” I still have no idea what’s happening right now.”

Though the others agreed, the mother of three couldn’t fight the feeling of wrong in her gut. It was wonderful to see Tony this way. He was bright and quick witted with his words but somehow it seemed wrong. The tensions in his shoulders were still tight and his eyes didn’t match the rest of his bubbling demeanor.

This wasn’t the Tony they had been encountering the past few weeks. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind. The genius they knew didn’t hide behind this-this _thing_. At least, he didn’t hide as much as he was now. It made her wonder if more people were going to join the tower, would that mean more of Tony they were going to lose?

She wanted him to be happy. Every one of them wanted him to be like this all the time, but they wanted it to be genuine. This was nothing but smoke and mirrors to hide the fact that he was suffering and she didn’t like it. After looking around, neither did the other women.  They’d have to keep an eye out for him in the next few days.

“And speaking of one of the world’s best lawyers,” Tony began looking behind Jennifer and squinting. “Where is the other one?”

His brown orbs went down the line until he saw cheap red glasses. A smirk graced his lips,” Hey! Just because your blind doesn’t mean I can’t see you! Get over here! You have a stick! Use it!”

“Tony,” Jane exclaimed her mouth hanging open.

The man looked at her with a frown,” What? He’s the one being rude! “

Before anyone can speak, the man came up using his white cane to stand next to Ms. Walters, “And just because you’re short doesn’t mean you have to over compensate.”

The billionaire quickly pointed a finger in his face and ignored the way it was pushed away with a little bit too much accuracy, “See, Jane, rude!”

“If I am the rude one, I would hate to see what people call you,” The man replied smoothly.

“Look on the news,” Darcy supplied, “You’ll find plenty.”

Jane was quick to hit her in under the table earning a glare in return. The scientist just smiled politely as if nothing happened. Tony snapped and pointed to Darcy,” That girl has a mighty good point. Why don’t you do some homework, Murdock?”

“Why don’t you do some damage control, Stark?”

“Boys,” Walters said looking between the two, “Stop measuring your dicks. We all know mine is bigger.”

The two men seemed to accept the explanation with a nod. The woman smirked and ruffled both of their hair. Murdock, however, left his messy without a care as Tony fixed his.

“How does she have a bigger one? It’s not fair,” The billionaire whined.

After pushing up his red glasses, he shrugged, “We haven’t questioned it before.”

A few sputters were heard gaining the attention of the room.  The genius leaned around the two lawyers to look at the other four people against the wall. They all had various expressions of exasperation and shock. He ‘tsked’ at them and looked up at the woman in charge.

“Jenny,” he whined, “I thought I told you to bring unbreakable pets!”

She looked over her shoulder and shrugged,” I did the best I could, but no one is trained to deal with you. “

“With me? To deal with me! How dare- wait a minute,” Tony murmured counting the lawyer grunts again. He looked towards a tense Murdock, “Where is Foggy? I know I asked for both of you. Who is supposed to sing show tunes with me instead of paper work?”

The man coughed, “Foggy and I are having difficulties at the moment. We decided it was best to split ways for a while.”

Instead of continuing with the charade, Tony nodded seriously, “I understand. Somethings aren’t what they should be, but we must preserver or some shit like that. Anyway back to the matter at hand.”

The genius swiveled around to face the women again. He gave them a huge smile, “Everyone, these are the lawyers I have been talking about.  We have two head honchos here. This is Jennifer Walters and the man beside her is Matt Murdock. Do not let the blindness fool you. He is as devious as he looks.”

Jennifer snorted, “Why are you like this?”

He leaned his head back enough for her to see his wink before continuing, “They are going to be here for the foreseeable future to ensure any questions and/or changes you want to make with the Accords. I can personally attest that yes, they do have their opinions on the matter, but they will not use that sway your own thoughts and actions. We are here to make changes happen and different point of views be heard.

“They are on call 24/7 anytime. Through any means you wish for this to go. It could be in person or email. Just make sure you go through my secure servers and you will be spot on. Now, the people behind the two? They are the grunt lawyers. I don’t know them myself but Jennifer does and the background checks are good. If you see any strange activity out of any of these, let me or the other two know. We will handle it. “

“Darcy can help too,” Jane stated, “If the other two are busy.”

All heads swiveled to dark-haired girl smiling in her chair. Maggie was the first to speak, “How…can you help?”

The woman looked exasperated at everyone, “I’m a political science major! Has everyone forgotten I’m not just with Jane because I can be?”

The silence stretched on for a few minutes until Tony shrugged,” Not going to lie, I totally missed that one. “

Everyone nodded their agreement. Darcy used a few minutes of their time to sound outraged before settling back down.  The others asked a few questions as well. When all of their initial worries were quietened, they agreed to go ahead and get started on learning the initial process of how things should go.

It had not escaped Natasha’s or matt’s mind that tony had ducked out quite a while ago. He didn’t even offer an excuse. He just waited until everyone seemed focused on other things to leave. The assassin decided to let it be for now. She had other things to consider.

Jennifer Walters was a name she had heard before somewhere, though she couldn’t quite remember how.  There was something nagging in her mind about the woman. She seemed very put together and calm, but there was something in her eyes. It was the careful way they swept across the room that frustrated her. It looked so familiar, but she couldn’t place it anywhere.

While the widow concentrated on Jennifer, Matt slipped out the room as well in search for the genius. He let FRIDAY direct him a few doors down to another room. He waited before entering. Allowing his senses to search for what he feared behind the door.

After a few moments he sighed and rolled his shoulders, this was not what he was expecting when he had arrived. The man was suddenly glad that he had accepted this job instead of turning it away. Tony had been a dear friend to him for a long while. Upon learning about his senses, the man had set out to protect and make sure he was at least able to survive money wise after his father had passed.

The genius had been one of the first to refuse to treat him with safety gloves. He strolled right in plowed through any and all excuses the newly blind kid had made up. Now that he was thinking about it, it seemed he used to always do that. It hasn’t happened much anymore, and he didn’t want to dwell on why that was.

The past was the past and he needed to leave that be for the moment. It was the future that he was scared about now. Gripping his cane tightly, the lawyer pushed through the door. He used his sense to understand that Tony was looking out a window almost straight ahead of him.

“You’d think after being thrown out of window by a god, you wouldn’t be fond of heights.”

Just as easily as he breathed, the billionaire shot back, “You’d think with being blinded, you wouldn’t be a fan of stupid glasses.”

“You used to come up with better comebacks than that,” Matt responded leaning against the wall next to the door. Tony never liked to be crowded when there were two people in a room.

Tony took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, “I used to do a lot of things, Murdock.”

There was a moment where the two just sat in silence. It was as if they were drinking in each other’s presence. It had been so long after all since they had been together. Tony did take a minute to subtly check over him. He made sure there were no holes in his cloths or any obvious signs that he wasn’t okay or needed something that he wouldn’t tell him.

He could tell the other man was doing the same thing. Matt always tilted his head a little more than necessary when he was trying to really get a read on somebody. The genius would have called him out on it, but there was no more energy left. He had spent it all on the little show back there.

There didn’t seem to be enough energy in him nowadays. All he was doing was smiling and getting through the next day. Little acts like he had down earlier would have been a piece of cake a while ago. He’d done it all the time.  Now, he had pick and choice how much of his reserves to use.  The genius had made the mistake of using too much. He had an interview later on today and somehow he’d have to give more.

“Tony,” Matt started, “You know why I’m in here.”

“No actually,” He began leaning his back against the glass,” I don’t.”

“You’re running yourself into the ground, genius. Your heart has been weak to begin with, but you’re making it worse because you aren’t taking care of yourself. I can hear the unsteady rhythm from here. It’s shaky at best. If this is too much, step back. Do not increase the risk of heart failure,” he tilted his head again,” And your lungs, Jesus Christ, Tony they have a lower capacity than before. What happened?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he responded in a clipped tone.

“Lie.”

“Matt,” Tony snapped. He pushed of the glass to pace, “I didn’t invite you here to worry about me and my health. I invited you here because we need help rectifying the Accords. If my being here distracts you too much, then I’ll leave. But do not mistake for one second that I am not paying for you to be here. This means you work for me. So I need you to do what I tell you to.”

The blind man smiled ruefully,” Pushing me away. It would be a good tactic if you didn’t make it so obvious. I’m not going anywhere. Jenny isn’t going anywhere. It’d be best if you just accept that and move on.”

“Move on,” The genius stated. While he was pacing, he didn’t hear the door open. Based on the footsteps and the perfume, it was Jennifer, “Move on? How can I move on when there is nothing there to begin with?! Where were you, huh? When all that shit was going down, where were you or Jennifer? Not with me that’s for sure. You were too busy protecting yourselves that I was left alone. So don’t think for one second, that you are with me on this because you aren’t.”

Tony stopped to take a staggering breath and look out the window, “You lost me a long time ago and it’s time for you to accept that. The only reason any of you came back? Was because I offered a fuck-ton of money. You didn’t do it because of me. So do your job, and leave me alone.”

There a beat of silence before Jennifer made her presence known, “So, that’s it? You’re just gonna write us off, like that? Because you’re too scared to admit that maybe you have someone on your side now?”

The billionaire turned and stared into her green tinted eyes unafraid, “If you want to make me the enemy then fine. A lot of others have.”

“No, you don’t get to do this,” She muttered striding forward,” It’s not just you who gets to decide we are done.”

Matt stood beside her and gave a contemplating look,” If you are so set on letting us go, you want to tell us why you’re scared?”

The room got silent has the man look around the lawyers for a way to push them out. If he could make them angry enough, they would leave, but nothing was working for him. They knew him too well.

FRIDAY interrupted their tense conversation regrettably.” Boss? Your interview is in a few moments. The car has been waiting on you.”

Tony strolled around them using the table as a shield. His voice sounded strong but there was an underlying shake to it Matt couldn’t deny, “You want know why I’m scared?”

“Everyone who was on my side at one point? Has either betrayed me, left me, fought me, or tried to kill me. So, you want to know why I’m scared,” Tony opened the door, “It’s because I’m waiting to see which one you do.”

With his last words said, the genius left leaving the other two in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If no one knows, Jennifer Walters is known for her role in the Marvel universe. She is Bruce Banner's cousin. She is known for being the She-Hulk after getting a blood transfusion from Bruce while she was dying. Unlike Bruce she can control herself in Hulk form and not. I'm thinking about changing it and making it a Ross experiment but I am not sure let me know. 
> 
> If no one knows about Matt Murdock, he is known for being DareDevil. He is blind but has heightened senses to help him out. I am using the DareDevil Netflix series in this one. Not sure if I want to bring Foggy into this one or not. 
> 
> Also, sorry for the delay. I've been binge watching DareDevil because I wanted to bring him in and also I'm just trying to find motivation. Hope this didn't disappoint.


	11. Controlling Chaos with more Chaos

There were few moments that really made Matt ponder about his choices. Yes, he has second guessed himself numerous times, but it was rare when they made him feel sick with regret. It had been a long time since he felt like he had wrecked something very important. It was even longer since they seemed to be happening one after another.

When he decided to become Daredevil, there hadn’t really been much regret. There were simply things that couldn’t be done within the law. He couldn’t stand to let another criminal walk because they knew how to play the system as well as they could. There were consequences he didn’t anticipate.

Foggy had been the one that did a lot of damage. It felt like yesterday when they had just passed and made a firm together. It was a feeling of utter joy. The two had finally made it out of law school and into the real world. It seemed nothing could stop them. Except maybe the secrets that kept piling up.

It was inevitable that everything was going to be found out. Matt knew that. He just didn’t expect neither him nor Foggy to react the way they did. The situation just kept getting worse before they got better. The next thing he knew; they were parting ways. When everything had settled in Hell’s Kitchen, he had gotten the email from Stark.

He didn’t respond for days at first. Tony knew his stance on the Accords were different. As the Lawyer, he agreed with them. There had to be limits and lines to be drawn. It was impossible to think that there wouldn’t be certain laws to follow in other countries. They had the right to set limits in their own lands.

It was different as Daredevil. He wasn’t really a hero. The papers seemed to call him a vigilante. Matt was okay with the description because it fit perfectly. He didn’t need a fancy team nor did he need to be called for every crisis. Especially since his methods were very unorthodox.  No one in their right minds would allow him near anyone considering he resorted to torture in dire situations.

Matt tried to explain it to the genius. He had called a week later and the lawyer decided it was best just to tell him why, but Tony had other ideas. He just laughed liked it was some sort of joke. The billionaire just told him that is exactly why he wanted him.  After a few more calls, he had decided it was better to do something than nothing.

He was glad about it now. Through phone calls, Tony had easily masked his voice. He made it seem like everything was going great and nothing was bothering him. Now that he was here, it seemed there was another story.

After the man’s outburst, he took a moment to find a chair and slump into it. The air seemed too thin and there was not enough of it wanting to get into his lungs. The man was withering away physically and mentally. Matt could’ve sworn he heard the idiot’s bones creak.

It didn’t seem to matter that the two lawyers had decided to join the Accords crusade now. There was too much baggage for Tony to reach out to anyone. He had taken their absence in the beginning as abandonment. If they would’ve known that a war was to start, things would’ve been different. Matt wouldn’t have put off the meetings Tony kept trying to make with him.  

There would be no time for this anymore. He took a breath and locked up his regrets in a box. The past is the past. There was no helping what he did. There was only what he was going to do now. Tony once told him that it wasn’t the past the defined the man. It was how he used it that would. He would not let his pity of the past be a dagger in his side. He would let it be a sword for the Accords and shield for their genius.

While Matt had a mental war with himself, Jennifer took a deep breath and leaned against the table. Her eyes faded from her green to the chocolate brown that everyone knew her for. It had been so hard to face the facts, mainly, because she didn’t want to.

There were failures she didn’t want to take responsiblilty for.  It would be easy to say that she was too busy to help Tony when this all started. That she had been cleaning up the firm with an iron fist that held no time for distractions. It wasn’t the truth and she hated herself for it.

When she heard that the genius had been working with Ross, she didn’t know how to be anything but angry. How could a man who had been so obsessed with his ‘science bro’ even think it was a good idea? She had broken many punching bags those few weeks and her skin seemed a little too green for her liking.

The man had called her and asked if she wouldn’t mind looking them over, he wanted her to put in her opinion. At the time, she had been so angry that she had flat out refused. The woman didn’t even tell him why. She just hung up the phone and ignored his calls.

Ross had done nothing to her. He didn’t even know about her thanks to a certain Stark, but it didn’t make it any better. Bruce had suffered at the hands of that man and suddenly they were pals. It made her sick to her stomach many times thinking about what Bruce was thinking about all of this. Did he feel just as betrayed as she did?

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, she considered differently. There was small flash-drive attached to a bouquet of sunflowers on her desk one morning.  They were beautiful and she couldn’t help but smile at them. It was very rare when someone remembered her favorite flowers.

The flash-drive had been something altogether.  She waited until home to plug it in. Immediately files and documents spread across her computer so fast. She could only catch a few bits before they were overrun with other ones. Most of them we redacted and covered but she knew what this was. It was something she didn’t have the faith to think of.

Shame filled her gut at remember the video that popped up. It had been Tony. He wore a nervous smiled and did a little wave, “Hey Walters, it’s me.  I’m sorry that I had to do it this way but this is the only way I can do this where you might listen. You know what these documents are. What they _mean_.  I know I’ve done nothing to deserve any kind of trust, but I need you on this one. Just come and get the Accords going in the right direction. It’s going to be worth it. I swear.  There will come a time when these documents are going to do more than sit in my server, but I have to wait. I need you to do that as well.”

Jennifer had watched the video several times.  She searched for any deceit in his eyes or words, but there was nothing. Just a man, who had no right to be so nervous talking to a friend. His voice had been so small. Something she would never relate to the man and it was her fault.

So, she sucked it up and accepted the offer. The woman was glad that she did. It took her one look to realize something was very wrong with Stark. The way his eyes darted for an exit and how he played with his honing bracelets did not give her a good feeling.

It took her a second but she gathered all of her thoughts and feelings. Letting them wash over her mind and acknowledge what they were. There was anger, but it was so much more than that. It was shame and guilt that made her angry at herself. If she had just trusted him, things would’ve been different.

It took her moment but after realizing what everything was in her head, she took a deep breath and let it go. These would do no good here. The war had been one made out of emotions and not logical facts. What she had to do was separate these things.

“He knows how to make an exit,” Matt joked weakly as he white knuckled his cane. 

Jennifer nodded knowing the man wouldn’t see it. She twisted her body so her hip was against the table and her face was towards him. She sighed, “I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“I didn’t think it was bad at all.”

“I just-I don’t know. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen when we got here. I thought everything was going to be fine.  Maybe, that is what I was wishing for.”

Matt pushed his glasses up and breathed in smelling her perfume. It always reminded him of better days, “I thought that if it got really bad he would call…but now that I think about it, I don’t think I gave him a chance.”

“Neither did I,” She admitted,” I thought it was fine. I let everything else get in the way. It was selfish.”

The silence seemed to press down on them all. Her chest felt as if it was going to explode under the weight. Upon taking another breath, she strengthened her resolve and stood up, “It doesn’t matter now.”

“How?,” Matt asked looking at her strangely, “How doesn’t it matter? It matters to him.”

Her shoulders straightened, “We are here now. Despite everything, we are here now. And we are going to be damn amazing.”

He snorted and stood up as well mentioning an inside joke, “Tony Stark Defense Squad?”

She smiled brightly,” Tony Stark Defense Squad.”

The door slammed open, “Hi, sorry. Well-not sorry. You’re gonna wanna watch this. “

They followed the woman down the hall. Matt took in the sound of her footsteps, “Darcy, right?”

“That’s me. I’m amazing. Amazingly going to punch Tony in the face,” She muttered the last part to herself but the others heard anyway.  She opened the door to the room they had all been in before. The others were all seated on one side, while a TV was on the other.

“Should we be worried?,” Jennifer asked looking at them.

Laura turned to her, “We don’t know yet. FRIDAY, play back.”

The screen jumped back to a shot of Tony sat on a red chair looking at the host. They didn’t really care for his name. The two lawyers only cared for what was going to be asked. By the look on everyone’s face, this was going to take a turn.

“Hello, everyone and welcome back. I have here the one and only Tony Stark,” The man let them all cheer before turning is too tan face back to their genius, “I must say, I was surprised to see you accepting talk shows. You’ve been refusing for a while.”

“Oh, you know,” Tony began giving the audience a wink, “I couldn’t deny my fans another look at my lovely face.”

The audience laughed along and it seemed he really had it in the bag. The first few questions were normal and easily evasive if needed to be. To watch Tony Stark on media was to watch an art form. He dodged and rolled quicker than anyone else. He was three steps ahead and a few meters high. It was like watching a game of cat and mouse.

“Tell me, Mr. Stark, how are faring about the Civil War?”

The audience seemed to quiet immediately. Everyone in the room on the TV and off seemed to tense.  The air thickened and Jennifer hoped that Tony had planned this far. There were no doubt people that were going to ask about it.

Tony, who always surprised, smiled and narrowed his eyes, “Now, Martin, I think you need to understand something. You can either interview me as Tony Stark or as Iron Man. You can’t have both. I know you want to ask me about Pepper and get the scoop on that, but I can tell. You want to ask for a little more detail on the Civil War. So tell me, which one do you choose? Stark or Iron Man?”

Martin glared at the obvious backfire that he had received. The host now looked undermined and completely unreliable for not distinguishing the two.  He let a press smile bloom, “Iron Man, please. We’ve all been waiting to know about your take on things. “

“Ah,” The genius hummed. His faced twisted into a serious expression, “We only have time for one question. But please, go on. I promise brutal honesty.”

“Oh fuck me,” Matt murmured rubbing a frustrated hand in his hair. This was not going to end well. It didn’t matter which direction this was going to take. No one was prepared for this. No one was warned that this going to happen.

That was exactly Tony’s game too. He wanted people off their guard. The man had a thing for controlling people with chaos. He didn’t need a stern voice or muscles. He needed a controlled chaos that would spin without any warning where it will land. That way no one has a level playing field.

The host’s eyes sharpened. It seemed he thought he had him by the neck now. After shifting in his seat, he asked, “How do you fell about your team? Captain America, if you need specifics?”

“ You mean the ones that disagreed with the Accords,” Tony asked bluntly enjoying watching the man before him try to regain control.

“Yes.”

They all watched as Tony let silence fall. He had closed his eyes for a moment as if thinking on it. Martin seemed to think he finally had won their game. Until Tony opened them, taking off his mask a little and allowing people to see him.

The audience seemed captivated by the pain held into the orbs and the way there was some sort of emotion that no one could place. It was mixing with the hurt look into his eye, morphing it into something radically different.

Jennifer took a shaky breath out, “Oh fuck.”

Tony shifted making himself seem smaller and more human, “Honestly? I’m not going to lie, Martin. I was hurt. Everyone had worked so hard on them and things just got out of hand to quickly.  Now that I’ve taken sometime to think about it, I’ve came to empathize with them.”

Murmurs broke out in the crowd. It seemed everyone was shocked hearing the words coming out of Tony’s mouth. Martin seemed to have paled considerably not knowing if this was going to be a trending video or if this could potentially put down his ratings.

“Are you telling me after everything, you think what they did was _right_?”

The genius shook his head, “Misheard me. I didn’t say they were right. I said that I understand. Think about it, Martin. They were scared just like the rest of us. They didn’t agree with what was being put in place and didn’t know how to react. They felt threatened in way neither you nor the audience can ever understand. Some of them keep their identities a secret for a reason and others don’t trust their government. I mean, does anyone 100% _trust_ the government these days?”

“But, Stark,” Marin fumbled, “They fought against everything we believe in.”

“See, that’s what I thought too,” He began, “I saw it as a personal attack on me and what I believe, but if we push our personal beliefs aside, you have to see it. They were scared like the rest of us. We didn’t present it properly and I will take my responsibility in that. Was it wrong to fight and create a war? Yes, but tell me, Martin. Didn’t we fight right back?”

Someone in the audience yelled I outrage, “Captain America sacrificed everything to save his friend. He wasn’t thinking about anything else!”

There were others who muttered their agreement and Tony seemed expect it. He look off screen at the person and nodded, “Tell me, if you were kept and brainwashed over and over for over seventy years. Would you be held responsible for what you did? Bucky Barnes at least deserves the chance at a trial or redemption. That man served his country until one day he was forced to forget everything he was. Prisoners of War have gone mad during treatment or rescue. Some have even regrettably killed a few. Tell me, do they deserve to be thrown into jail as well? “

Tony smiled at the crowd. It was small and understanding. He got up and stretched slightly, “Well, Martin, it’s been wonderful being on your show. I must say that these chairs are comfortable. Sadly, I must depart. Our interview and your show was supposed to end,” He checked his watch and smirked at the man, “Ten minutes ago, Whoops”

It seemed that everything was said and no one knew how to respond. The silenced seemed to stretch too long and the show ended on the face of the host with his mouth open staring at where Tony had left. FRIDAY paused the television and the room seemed quiet.

No one seemed to know what to say. They really hadn’t been prepared for this.  What were they supposed to do with this information? If they weren’t supposed to do anything at all, then what was the point?

“Well played, Stark,” Natasha muttered smirking at the screen. It seemed he was not as out of touch as much as she thought. He still knew how to control a room and it was going to make things way more interesting.

“What,” Laura began shakily, “Did he just _do_?!”

“He just did the most dangerous thing in our society today,” Matt muttered running a hand through his hair. His white cane was slightly touching Jennifer as if to make sure they were both okay, “He just started a conversation.”

Jennifer picked up where he left off, “He just validated both sides of the war. This means he just gave everyone in the world that cares, which is a lot, a reason to voice their opinion and start asking questions. “

One of the grunts hit their head on the wall and whimpered, “Fuck.”

Hope looked at the grunt with a blank expression, “That sums it up perfectly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a week? What is going on in my life!? I swear to you I'm not this put together. But I will respond to all of your lovely comments soon


	12. Unplanned Appearance

Tony was going to pull his hair at the end of all this. It seemed that everything and nothing was going the way he wanted it to. There were too many variables to get everything right, and his brain kept thinking of more way to compensate for that. Which was what he needed, if it weren’t for being in the middle of a media frenzy for almost eight hours.

 

He had to admit that he hadn’t really thought too hard on what would happened after the interview. The main focus was on playing chess with the host, Martin. He had to make sure to manipulate the man just right for things to smoothly. For the most part, they did.

 

It seemed that he had been so focused on making a public move that he lost track of the public outside. He was stuck in the middle of the lobby at the tv station. He had expected that. The reporters were going to come in and beg for their questions to be answered like normal. It was the growing size of the crowd that he had overlooked.

 

There were security guards everywhere. He had thought that they would realize the situation was getting out of hand and would step in. Apparently, they were too curious about what he was going to say to really help much. At around the eight hour mark, his own security had come in and slowly thinned the herd.

 

He should feel relieved when there had only been a handful left. The man was too busy questioning who had called his security to begin with. He had allowed two of his body guards to come with him for this interview. He had told them that it would be a waste to put a lot of the detail on just himself. He also pointed out that if he got shot, it would strengthen his points and there were plans in place just in case.

 

The genius wasn’t above being a martyr. One of the guards with him, Ted, had joked around saying that instead of having an ‘App for that’, Tony had a ‘Plan for that’. Ted was a good guy. He was single Dad and had a wonderful son. He had met him once and he just knew Ted’s son was going to be the greatest artist in this day and age. The passion the boy held for oil paints rivaled his own for creation.

 

His thoughts seemed to wonder to buying Ted’s son more oils instead of the last question he was answering. It had something to do with SI and how that was going to work into political based stocks. The question made no sense and he made his answer purposefully full of long words that were going to confuse everyone.  The lady left and he almost let his guard down.

This day had been longer than he had anticipated, but he couldn’t let it go just yet. His shoulders ached with keeping his posture straight for some long.  He put a hand over his mouth to massage his cheeks for moment. He had been smiling far too much.

 

“How we doing over there, wonder boy?”

 

Tony glanced over at the marine and muttered distractedly, “Oils.”

 

“Oh, no,” A voice across the room echoed, “Dominic, tell him no. “

 

The man, Dominic, blinked and looked at the genius, “Tony, no.”

 

The voice got closer, “I refuse to let this happen again.”

 

The man stood beside the other guard giving Tony a careful glare. He was a well-built man and it seemed very obvious in the suit that he was wearing. It was a classic black and white suit that made his bright orange hair standout.

 

“I’m telling you,” He began explaining to the darker man beside him, “Last time Tony was like this, I got 2  _dozen_  boxes of fancy oil paints for my kid, Virgil. I don’t even  _want_  to know how much that shit costs all together”

 

“$1,2-,” A calloused hand was quickly put over the genius’s mouth.

 

“Tony, I said I didn’t want to know,” He sighed keeping his hand on the man’s mouth. Dominic chuckled, “I’m telling you. It was the weirdest parenting moment I had. Virgil was so excited about the paints. If I sent them back, then it would be bad manners. If I kept them, I felt like I wouldn’t be teaching him how to work hard for things. It was a damned situation from the start.”

 

“So,” the other man asked, “What did you do?”

 

“I let him keep half and I kept the other have. When he got up his grades, he got the others. Then I made this  _genius_  not to buy anymore.”

 

Tony whined behind the man’s hand, “Ted, oils.”

 

“I swear to God,” Ted muttered, uncovering his mouth, “Tony, Virg doesn’t need any more oils. If you want to make him happy, come over for dinner some time.”

 

Wide glassy eyes found his blue ones, “Dinner?”

 

“Yes, you stupid man, dinner,” He sighed again and gave Dominic a look telling him to follow, “We will even watch movies, but right now, you need sleep.”

 

“And food,” the marine muttered as they herded the man towards the door, “Jesus, do you need food.”

 

Tony wanted to disagree, but he was too busy enjoying the warm hands on his shoulders guiding him to wherever they were going. He loved physical affection and ever since Pepper, he has not gotten nearly enough. So he decided to enjoy it while it lasted.

 

At least, he was going to before his brain chimed in. There had been his whole team that had showed up and gotten control of the situation. He had not ordered his security to do that. There was no time between cameras and recorders in his face. How did his whole team get here?

 

It seemed more questions started to pile up as he looked around the quiet lobby. Some of these men he had sent all over the states. He hadn’t seen them in months and some he hadn’t seen in years. Where were they coming from-was that Mark? That man retired 3  _years_  ago.

 

The genius blinked slowly trying not to let his shoulders stiffen too much. If something was wrong, he couldn’t let them know, “Ted, do you see everyone here too?”

 

Ted looked at him strangely for moment before smirking, “Seems you’re finally waking up a little bit. Yeah, buddy, everyone you see is actually here.”

 

The three men walked through the door to the outside. The humid air curled around him. It felt nice and different than the stiff air in the lobby. He had always enjoyed doing interviews outside. There were more escape routes and the fresh air was something he probably didn’t get as much as he should.

 

“I don’t follow,” Tony said, stopping at the top of the steps. He twisted himself of their grips to face them. The anxiety over everything seemed to build slightly making his chest restrict in protest. He had done too much today: the meeting, the confrontation, the interview, and the eight hour media party. Everything was catching up to him.

 

His brain didn’t want to try to figure all the possible reasons why they were all here. A lot of the ideas that it was thinking made his stomach turn into concrete. Could they all be upset? Had Hydra gotten to them?  There were too many possibilities, and he was too tired to filter which ones seemed impossible or not.

 

“Dom and I didn’t call them is that’s what you’re inferring too,” Ted said. He looked a little concerned for the genius.

 

“You were the only two I brought with me,” he accused, “No one else would even know how to contact everyone. And even then, there are people in there that have retired. Hell, Mark is there! He left three years ago. The only time I hear from him is when he sends a Christmas card on Thanksgiving. And who even does that? It is Thanksgiving! I mean at least wait until the day after! It is such an underrated holiday! Everyone just wants to skip and go straight for Santa, but give the poor holiday a chance!”

 

“I-I don’t even know how to respond to the last part of the conversation,” Dominic muttered sharing an incredulous look with his partner, “I honestly don’t think you should be worried about this. If you must know, I didn’t call them. Ted didn’t call them. “

 

“Then who did?”

 

“The Boss Lady called everyone that was active. I happened to call the rest. After hearing what has been happening, a lot of them came back.”

 

The voice behind him caused Tony to freeze. His eyes widened. There was no way he could be here. His body slowly turned around to look at the bottom of the steps. One of his cars were waiting for him, but it was the man leaning against it that shocked him.

 

With a crooked smile aimed towards him, the man held out his arms, “Nice to see you, Boss.”

 

“I’m not your boss. I haven’t been in years,” He retorted slowly walked down the stairs, “You and half of the others in there are supposed to be guarding Pepper. “

 

Happy scoffed, “Do you really think she wouldn’t be keeping an eye on you? After hearing about the whole ‘being shot is fine’ thing, she decided to take matters into her own hands. You are lucky you weren’t there when she found out that over three fourths of your security detail had been reassigned. I thought she was going to pop a vein.”

 

“Hearing about-,” He hopped down the last step and glared, “Has she been listening to my conversations?! As in she has been spying?”

 

“She has key words that notify her,” the long term friend looking him up and down, “Boss, when was the last time you slept? Ate?”

 

Tony bristled at the concern. This was not a part of the plan. There was nowhere in his mind where this was supposed to happen. The thought of losing control made anger grip his chest tightly. He couldn’t afford for things to mess up.

 

“I am not your boss,” He snapped, “I sent you with Pepper to protect her. I sent half those men and woman in there to protect her. The other were sent across to make sure anyone who I had concerns about would be safe. Go back. Take everyone back and leave.”

 

“Hey,” Ted yelled from the steps, “ _They_ are all here because they respect you and want to protect you.”

 

“Did you ever wonder why I sent them all away? I had a reason and you all just blew because you let your sentiment get in the way,” The genius took a few deep breaths. He was getting too riled up. They all needed to calm down.

 

A memory flashed through his mind of Steve. When they were too busy being angry, bad things happened. They had been so close, but none of that mattered. All of their emotions were too high and it cost everyone. If no one was going to calm down, something bad was going to happen in the middle of the street. He couldn’t afford any bad publicity right now.

 

“Oh please,” Happy muttered gaining his attention. He didn’t sound angry and as he continued he sounded calm, “It’s obvious why you sent everyone away. I’ve known you for how long? You didn’t move everyone for some heroic reason.”

 

Tony glared at him, “Shut up.”

 

The man continued, “You sent everyone away for a selfish reason. You can fool yourself all day long, but I know you, Tony. You have a heart of gold, and you feel a lot more than you’d like everyone to think.”

 

“I said shut up.”

 

“You sent everyone away because you couldn’t handle it,” Happy said loud enough to try and get through to the man, “You couldn’t handle the thought that these guys could die protecting you. You already felt like Rhodey had lost too much because of you, and you couldn’t stand to have more blood on your hands. The thing is, genius, Rhodey wasn’t your fault! And I can tell you right now that he would do this all again if it meant you were safe.”

 

The silence seemed to engulf them after their outbursts. Tony could hear Happy’s labored breathing. The emotions swirling in his chest didn’t want to let go. They seemed to grab his heart and squeeze painfully. He didn’t want to fee this anymore. It was all too much.

 

His brown orbs looked into his body guard’s eyes. The emotions deepening the meaning of his words, “I will  _not_  ask them to die for me. Do you hear me? These people, including you, cannot die for me. Hell, some of them don’t even agree with the Accords! I cannot let them get into this clusterfuck. They have children, partners, lives, and more meaning to this world than to die for an old billionaire who keeps making mistakes! I will not ask them to die for me!”

 

“That’s the thing you don’t get, Boss,” Happy Hogan murmured quietly. He slowly moved, so Tony had every chance to avoid it, and pulled him into his chest. The genius let out a tiny whimper as the arms tightened around him making him feel secure, “You don’t have to.”

 

Ted and Dominic stay for a few more minutes making sure that everyone was going to be okay. The two friends stayed in the embrace and didn’t care about the outside world at the moment. The men seemed to let out a breath they had been holding for quite some time.

 

Despite the love they had for their job, it had been extremely stressful working with the billionaire.  They had been the only two that were really allowed to go everywhere with him and it took a toll. It was relief to know that they weren’t going to be alone in helping him.

Ted has always been closer to their boss that Dominic has been. During the past few months, that didn’t even seem to help. Happy was different. He had been there long before anyone else, and he wasn’t afraid to call Tony on his bullshit. If there was anyone that could help see reason, it was this guy,

 

Tony’s voice was muffled by his friend’s suit, “Happy?”

 

“Yea, Tones?”

 

“I haven’t eaten in a few days,” He began ignoring the sharp intake of breath, “Can we go get Burger King together?”

 

Without dislodging the tiny genius, Happy opened the backseat of the van and guided him in. After closing the door, he sighed and leaned against it facing the two men at the top of the stairs. They stared at each other for a minute unsure of what to say.

 

Finally, clearing his throat he began, “Ted I want you to go over to teams Echo and Charlie. You are going to be in charge of them for tonight. They are being station on certain floors where our guests are staying. The floor numbers will be given to when you arrive. Dominic, you have team Whiskey. It is a larger group and they are going to stationed at the entrance of the lawyers’ floors. We will hope a meeting in the morning about where everyone is going to go. And what the plans are from here.

 

“I want to thank you two for taking care of this idiot while I have been gone. Pepper and I hadn’t realized that he was going without proper security for so long. It was our own fault, but you two and Tony paid the price. For that, I apologize. I hope you two have a good night.”

They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Happy took the driver seat and couldn’t help the content smile that grew on his face. With Tony in his rearview mirror and a stretch pf road ahead of him, it felt like coming home. He had missed his friend dearly, “Cheese burger first?”

 

Tony gave a genuine smile. It was small, but it was there, “Cheese burger first.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally do not think this is the best chapter I've ever done, but I am at least content with it. This chapter probably wouldn't be posted without a good friend. She is very supportive and I am very grateful.


	13. Unplanned Feast

When they had pulled into the parking lot of Burger King, Happy held a soft smile in place. There were many times they had gone to this restaurant chain. On his first day as his bodyguard, they had ended up with twenty-five milkshakes and sixteen cheeseburgers. At that point, Tony was still under Stane’s thumb and Pepper had just been starting out as his PA.

He had just walked through the door when Tony barreled out grasping the older man’s tie. Pepper had been running after him just the same her face almost matched her hair. At the time, he had no idea what the woman was screaming at the genius for. He had been too focused on Tony dragging him by his tie to the SUV parked on the sidewalk.

After they had sped away, the genius had finally introduced himself with a warm laugh. It had turned out that Pepper had found out that he impulsively bought two animal shelters and donated three veterinary clinics after he had watched too many abandoned pet videos. She wouldn’t have been upset if he hadn’t put her name as the one that had donated it. It wasn’t until a few years later that both he and Pepper realized that their mechanic had done that to get the woman’s name out there in a good light. It turned out he had planned for her to be CEO for a very long time.

There were very few people that knew how patient Tony could be. Once he had a plan, he could wait years for it to go through. He would carefully hint at things and nudge certain people in the right direction.  He was a man that knew how to be subtle without anyone putting that characteristic to him.

“Hap?”

Shaking out of his memories while in line at the drive thru, he cleared his throat, “Sorry, Boss.”

He looked into the mirror to see his friend in the back. The way his face turned into a sheepish smile made him wary, “What’s up?”

“Umm,” Tony fumbled for a moment. He glanced at his hands his hand. It seemed the genius was at a loss for what to say, “How many guards are going back to the tower?”

“By the time we get there around twenty. The rest are going to get some rest and be back tomorrow. Why?”

A hand went to scratch behind his head, “Umm, well, okay. If there are twenty by the time we get back, and if they are anything like Dom and Ted, we are going to need at least three each. That’s around sixty. And how are we supposed to know if they want fries or onion rings? Might as well get twenty of each for them and I can’t forget about the others….so that’s…”

The man was off again muttering to himself. The bodyguard could pick out a few names like ‘Laura’ and maybe a ‘Matt’ but everything else was lost on him. Upon rolling down his window, he told the woman on the speaker to hold on for another minute. He waited patiently until the genius had been done with his calculations.

“We need ninety-seven cheese burgers, thirty large fries. Thirty large onion rings with extra of that sauce because Ted loves it for some reason, and we can get the drinks at the tower. Oooo but Laura would kill me if I didn’t get a milk shake. We need three chocolate shakes and three vanilla ones too.”

Happy stared at the man for a moment. It didn’t take long for him to repeat the order to woman. He was thankful for his years of experience with the genius. He was able to assure the woman that “yes, they were serious” and “Of course, we can pay first and wait for the food”. After paying the food, and giving them a very generous tip, they parked the SUV and waited.

As they got comfortable in the car, Happy turned comfortably to be able to look Tony, “Who all do you have at the tower? Because that was way more than just a few extra burgers.”

“I thought you knew about my ‘guests’. Doesn’t Pep know?”

He sighed, “No, Tony, she doesn’t. All we know is that you do have people with you there. As to whom they are and how many, I don’t really have an idea. Normally I would tell you it doesn’t matter, but if we are going to protect these people, I’d like to know who they are. “

There were times when his friend reminded him of a kid. The way he shuffled his gaze across the car trying to think of something to say was endearing. A warm feeling filled his chest. For him to act such a way showed a huge amount of trust on his part and Happy didn’t want to think about the last time he was able to himself around others.

The genius looked down, “Promise you won’t be mad?”

“I’ll try my best,” he amended.

“Uh, well, let’s see,” Tony responded counting off on his fingers, “Laura Barton, her three kids, Maggie Lang, her kid, Hope Van Dyne, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Matt Murdock,  Jennifer Walters-”

He faltered for a moment. His lips turned down, “Harley Keener, Annie Keener, Ms. Keener….They-They are being taken care of in the medical wing at the moment. I didn’t think anyone would come for them that fast, but I was wrong. Annie wasn’t hit badly at all. All the stress and trauma caught up with her though. Harley is the one we are concerned about the most. I figured he would enjoy a nice burger when he woke up.”

Happy could feel the guilt coming of the man in waves. It was amazing that he was here at all. When these things happen, it seemed the only way to find him was in the lab. He was proud at Tony for not shutting people out, but he was scared that the man was doing so in a different way.

“Well,” the bodyguard murmured, “Honestly, that’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It is a lot of people though. I’m glad you can have people you can trust-“

Tony grimaced and blurted out, “And Natasha.”

There was a beat of silence, “I’m sorry I thought you just said that you were letting Natasha stay in the tower.”

“And under protection.”

“Jesus Christ. You know I am going to have to tell Pepper don’t you?”

 The genius huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “You don’t have to do anything.”

Happy shifted in his seat clearly seeing the negative turn this was going to take, “We are only trying to help.” 

The genius scoffed, “Sure, everyone wants to help  _now_ , but what about when the war was going on? Where were all of you then?”

“I didn’t mean anything by this, and I don’t think this a conversation meant for just you and I. It seems we’ve all dropped the ball here, and we all need to discuss how to go forward.”

After shifting in his seat to lean forward a little more, the genius sighed,” I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to ‘discuss’ anymore. That is all I’ve been doing. If it’s not to the councilmembers, it’s the politicians. If it’s not them, it’s the media. If it’s not the media, then it’s the lawyers. I’m tired of discussing.”

“I know,” Happy responded somberly. He didn’t need to push anymore, but he needed to know, “You’ve taken in a ton of people, and now Natasha is in the mix. What are you thinking?”

Tony shifted clearly annoyed, “I’m not planning anything. I’m just trying to protect them. You’ve seen the way the world is. People hate what I’ve done, and people hate what Captain America has done. Some would do anything to make one of us or both of us pay. And to be honest? I am getting really sick and tired having to explain this to people. I feel like I’ve been telling every other person this. “

“I mean it makes sense. I just don’t want you to think that you are the only that can protect them. You’ve got to people help. You can’t do everything by yourself. “

“I can certainly try,” Tony spat angrily, “It was obvious no one else cared enough to do. There are peoples’ lives at stake and I am not going to take a risk because someone thought they could handle it when they can’t.”

 

“That is unfair, Tony, and you know it,” The bodyguard said lowly.

“It’s true, isn’t it? Pepper couldn’t handle it. You couldn’t handle it. No one stayed to help me when I needed it. How can I trust any of you to help take careof anything now? Based on all of the prior experience I have when shit gets tough, people jump ship.”

“Tony,” The man murmured.

“I get it. I always have, but don’t you think it is a little unfair that after everyone leaving when things get hard, you people are asking me to have faith? Pepper didn’t even call after everything went down at the airport. She didn’t even ask if I was okay. For someone who claimed she would be there despite the breakup, there was shocking lack of concern.”

“Tony, please.”

“And you were right by her side. Now that the war is over and all the heat is on me, you show up-to what? Play the hero?  _Tony got himself into shit again it’s time to pull him out?_ I’m doing just fine on my own-“

“But you don’t have to be! Damn it, Tony, you don’t have to be?”

There was a pause. Happy looked at his friend to see his gut-wrenching eyes on him. It seemed like he was lost looking for some kind of sign.

“Did I  _have_  to be alone during the Civil War?”

The question knocked the air out of his lungs. Tony always knows what to say for something to hit close to home. It happened most times in an effort to protect himself. Those comments he could let slide because there wasn’t anything extremely personal about it, but this was different. This was an honest-to-god question that was so stripped down and raw it almost didn’t seem like that man.

One glance told him that days without sleep and food has probably brought this on. That another issue he would deal with, but at the moment, he had to accept that he had screwed up. He left a good friend when he was needed. That was something that he had to atone for over time, but like his father said ‘You have to own up to it before fixing it.’

Happy took a deep breath, “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. It wasn’t that I didn’t support the Accords, because I do. To be honest, I am not quite sure why I didn’t pick up the phone and call you. It would’ve taken two seconds. I didn’t, and that was wrong. Tony, I am sorry that I didn’t even try to reach out to you. I should’ve at least let you know that I was still on your side. I will make it up to you.”

 Tony looked at his bodyguard with complete wonder and confusion. This was his fault too. Why hadn’t Happy mentioned that? He could’ve picked up the phone just as much as his friend could have. He felt something ease in his chest and made his eyes water for a moment.

He tried to name the emotion but found it difficult to find one. There was relief, but from what? He hadn’t felt anxious about anything. This was Happy for Christ sake. It just felt so nice for someone to take their side of the blame on something. For the past few months, even years, everything had been his fault. Even when he didn’t even do anything, it was somehow always his fault. 

The sense of safety flooded into him for the first time in a long time. It hit him with such a force his shoulders relaxed, and his whole body slumped in a release of tension.  After studying Happy’s face, he realized how serious the man was about making it up to him. A smile crept onto his face, and he nodded, “Okay, Hap. Okay.”

Sensing that was all he was going to get out the man tonight, the body guard returned the smile. It took another half hour before their food was ready. There were so many bags of food it flooded the backseat leaving only the genius’ head and shoulders visible.  The look of a sleep-drunk Tony Stark covered in bags of Burger King was one worth remembering. If he took a photo and saved it, no one had to know. 

__

FRIDAY had alert Ted and Dom that their genius had arrived back in and would require assistance carrying things. She had a tone of amusement when telling the men that all the security detail would probably need to help them.  Due to the fact they had been working with Tony for years, there wasn’t any hesitation calling everyone down to the garage.

However many years they have dealt with Tony, did not stop Dom from doubling over in laughter after opening the car door. The mechanic sat there looking smugly up at his guards completely encased in fast food bags. How he managed to hold onto two trays of milkshakes, they would never know.   

Ted had tried keep a straight face but had failed when their Boss responded with a tone far too confident for the situation, “Hello, gentlemen.”

The orange haired men pulled the door all the way open.   He signaled the guards to each get some of the bags. He left his partner, who was now on the ground, to his laughing fit, “You crazy fucker. “

The man laughed loudly shifting in his seat as the weight of hamburgers became lighter, “You told me I couldn’t buy paints. You said nothing about trying to feed my army.”

“If we have to sit down together and make a list of rules ,I will personally do so. I’ll even let Dom help.”

“Oh God no,” The man mentioned gasped still chuckling, “Don’t let me help. I can’t take another fit like this again.”

Ted gestured to his partner, “Do you need Life Alert, Dom? Have you fallen and can’t get up?”

“Fuck you, Ted!”

Tony gave a smile as both men took the last bags and trays from his hand. Happy came around helped him out of the car. The mechanic swayed for moment before gaining his balance. He nodded in thanks to all his security team that had taken the food. 

“Okay,” He began as he redid his calculations, “Some of those are for you and some of them are for our guests. The milkshakes are for the Moms so unless you want to be killed, please, don’t steal them. Ted, I got you that sauce you like so much.”

The man smiled, “You’re the best, Tones.”

He continued, “We have a lot of fries and onion rings. So, take your pick an-“

“Tony?”

The sound of Laura’s voice caused him to pause. He shifted his upwards, “Did FRIDAY connect you?”

“Yea, she said you were home. I wanted to check in. I heard you had guests?”

Though it was voiced as a question, everyone knew it was more of confirmation.  Tony winced. He forgot to tell Laura about the guards. There could be a case of defense that he didn’t know they were really going to be here, but he doubted that it would work like that.

“Maybe…”

“How many maybes are we talking here?”

There was a pause for him to do a head count, “About 21 maybes.”

“And they’re your security?”

“Yea, they were retired and supposed to not be here. But apparently there are still people who want to protect my as-“

“Tony, Children!”

“-sset. Who want to protect my asset,” Happy thought Tony really should not look as pleased as he did for the save, “Anyway, I brought food. I just have to divide amongst everyone, and I can bring you guys’ up, if you’d like.”

There were a few shuffles on the other end, “Just bring them up here.”

He faltered, “Up…there?”

“Tony, if these men are going to protect us, and they sound like they are very important to you, we would all like to meet them. We might not have any chairs, but I’m sure we can all sit on the floor and have a good time.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s-“

“Don’t question it.”

With a little click, Laura's connection had been cut off. There were many eyes on the genius as if waiting for him to decide. He nodded to himself, “Okay everyone, you heard the lady. Let’s go.”

“Boss, if you could stay behind. I would like to discuss something with you. “

After raising his eyes brows, he nodded and gestured for the others to go ahead.  He let Happy know it was okay leaning against the hood of the car. It took a few moments but everyone had left. The genius shifted slightly at the silence of the room.

“Yes, Baby Girl?”

The AI didn’t answer right away. Tony waited patiently allowing her all the time I the world. She wasn’t nearly as complex as JARVIS, but she was growing in her own ways. He wouldn’t stifle that with his impatience.

“I am concerned,” She stated slowly as if trying to find the right words.

“About?”

“Upon looking into past videos, I focused on how JARVIS acted.”

His heart skipped a beat, but he kept his voice level, “And?”

“There are things he didn’t allow you to ‘get away with’. He had limits about certain things. How long you stayed in the lab. How many hours you could go without food. It seemed that he had a certain limit of danger that you prove to others or yourself. If the limit was passed, he had a call list ready to enact and did so regularly. Should I be doing these things?”

“Baby Girl,” he coughed and shifted, “All that’s true. JARVIS was just like you. He learned and found things that did and didn’t work. However, I can’t stress enough that you aren’t him. You are going to find your own ways of doing things. You are going to find areas that you’re more concerned with than others. I didn’t make you like him. He created himself. Just like you are going to create you.”

“And if I’m concerned with your health and wellbeing?”

“Then you are concerned, but I want to remember what I explained to you when I started this months ago, the end result is worth the risk. But it’s up for you to decide if it’s worth it for you.”

After a few minutes of silence, he sensed that the conversation was over. A sense of pride filled his chest at FRIDAY. She had come so far, and he knew she would be amazing. The mechanic stretched his muscles enjoying the feeling. He went over to the elevator and let FRIDAY take him to the floor everyone was on. 

There was another pause after the elevator stopped. Tony glanced up, “Fri? You alright?”

“I wish to discuss something with you again.”

“Is it important?” 

Another beat, “Not necessarily. It could help in the long run.”

He sighed, “Baby Girl, I’m tired. I’m actually hungry, which is a miracle in itself, can we please talk about it tomorrow”

Without answering it verbally, the doors opened. He stepped into the best chaos he had ever witnessed. Tony had designed the floors with an open floor plan so someone could keep an eye on the kids anywhere in the apartments.  All the rooms were down a hallway and could me monitored if need be. Laura had said that it was helpful with Nathaniel.

It turned out there was another use for the plan he had designed. Everyone had pushed the furniture against the walls. They had included the dining area, living room, and even the office nook.  No one seemed to mind the lack of actual chairs though. 

People were sitting on the floors, coffee table, and the counters. The lawyers had even joined in. Everyone had mingled together laughing and having their own conversations.  He watched Mark throw an onion ring into Darcy’s mouth. It wasn’t a surprise. Mark was a fantastic sniper. He wouldn’t miss. She turned and got a high-five from Jenny, who had lost her heels at some point.  

Cassie and Lila seemed to be playing tag with a few other of the security team.  When Lila laughed a little too loudly, he could see Cooper looking over to her to make sure she was safe. After seeing she was okay, he would continue talking with Dominic and Ted. Lord knows what they were talking about. 

Natasha seemed to be sipping on a milkshake watching Matt and Hope get into a heated discussion. By the sounds of it, they were talking about the best movie in the Matrix series. Natasha stopped sipping long enough to mention the theory that they never really got out of the Matrix. She smugly went back to her milkshake as the two argued about the truth of the theory. She could be a little shit when she wanted.

He shoulders relaxed at the sight. He loved this kind of loud chattering. The way sounds meshed together in a happy incoherent mess. He didn’t have to decipher any of it. All the man had to do was let it wash over him. It was comforting to live in chaos he didn’t need to worry about controlling. His eyes felt heavy, and he wondered if he could find a couch to crash on and fall asleep to this. 

“Tony,” Laura exclaimed. She walked over to him carrying a back of, what he assumed were burgers. The way her eyes were shinning with happiness made him smile at her. It seemed he wasn’t the only one enjoying this unplanned feast. 

The woman used her free arm to wrap around his shoulder and guide to where Happy was sitting on the floor by the windows. The body guard smiled up at him and moved over so Tony could sit in the corner. Once he did, Laura sat on the other side making him encompassed on either side.  She pulled out a cheeseburger for each of them, and nodded in thanks as Happy gave her a milkshake.

For the first in a long time, Tony felt no need to speak. He didn’t need to control or assure anyone of anything. Tonight was a night just for them. He took a bite of his food and frowned when it didn’t taste right. It seemed that nothing ever did these days.  It didn’t matter what he tried. Everything had lost its flavor.

 “I guess you were right,” She murmured gently into his ear, “I guess we do have a dinner every time new people arrive. I was right too. It is a fantastic way to break the ice.”

Forcing down a few more bites, he wrapped it back up and sat it on the ground. Without hesitation, Laura wrapped her around him and guided his head on to her shoulder.  Her fingers played with his hair and he melted into her. 

The sounds of laughter and excitement reminded him of the few times the Avengers had really gotten together. When they had, everyone had a good time. Even Bruce seemed to open up when they’d comfortable with each other. Now that was all gone, but he couldn’t find it in himself to grieve. They would be back when the time was right. Until then, they were building something new. It was going to be something that could last a lot longer than they had before. 

Before he shut his eyes, the mechanic turned towards Happy. It seemed the man was preoccupied between talking with Laura and keeping Nathaniel entertained with a french-fry. It seemed the teething was getting better. That was good to know. He closed his eyes, and the last thing Tony heard before falling into sleep was Nathaniel’s innocent laughter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this chapter. I worked really hard on it. I apologize it took so long. This chapter is dedicated to a good friend. She really supports me in this, and I appreciate it.


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